Terry Trueman
Terry Trueman was born in Birmingham, Alabama on December 15, 1947, he is a Printz Award-winning author of young adult fiction, with his best-known book being Stuck in Neutral, as well as books of poetry and short stories for adults and children. Trueman has lived in Spokane, Washington since 1974.
Trueman holds master’s degrees in applied psychology and creative writing. His first novel, Stuck in Neutral was published in 2001 and was inspired by his son Sheehan, who was born a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. The disease severely crippled his son and threatened to overwhelm Trueman, who eventually turned his shock and grief into a narrative poem, “Sheehan”, which grew into the novel, Stuck in Neutral.
Trueman has released two other companion novels for teens, Cruise Control (2004) and Life Happens Next (2012), as well as a non-fiction book about his son, Sheehan: Heartbreak and Redemption (2007).
Author Note
I recently hit the Amazon.com button to see “All” my books and the number listed is 27 (it had 42 recently; I’m not sure where the other 15 went?). Now, admittedly, not all 27 of these are my books or solely my books. Some are books co-written by my friend and colleague Vincent Triola with whom I publish Just Weighing and Christian Pollution. But the vast majority of the 27 or is it 42 books listed on Amazon are indeed written by me.
Who the fuck needs 27 books to say what you’re thinking, feeling, experiencing in this eye-blink of time we have called “being alive”? And in the immortal words of G.W. Bush when asked what history will think of him, his answer fits me perfectly, “History? Who cares, we’ll all be dead.”
The blog type of writings I’m doing now are merely the ramblings of a relatively confused old man and the insights of a lucky guy who types with two fingers at the same speed I think with my very average I.Q.
I’ve written only about things that matter to me and what I think should matter to all of us. The human experience, despite appearances otherwise, is actually pretty much universal: we all have very limited time, our world is better for ourselves and everyone else when we adhere to certain basic ethical beliefs and conduct: honesty, loyalty, kindness, love, fairness and justice, courage and a few others. I know I sound like a boy scout here, but bear with me.
Since my writing has always tried to follow these principles, I see no need to change that now. If you want to know me and my work, read what I’ve written, (you have all or parts of 27 books to choose from) or follow and read me here and elsewhere.