Informational Books: Laughing at My Nightmare Review

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Bibliography

Burcaw, Shane.  Laughing at My Nightmare.  New York:  Roaring Book Press, 2014.  Print.  ISBN:  9781626720077.  

Summary

21-year-old Shane Burcaw was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a form of muscular dystrophy in which the muscles fail to produce critical strengthening proteins and deteriorate over time.  His torso and limbs are underdeveloped and extremely frail, and he will remain wheelchair bound for the duration of his (projected to be short) life.  He relies on his family and friends to help him perform his vital life tasks, including: toileting, hygiene, dressing, feeding, lifting, and rolling over for bed.  Despite all of these limiting factors, Shane is funny as hell!  While he is realistic about his illness, SMA does not define him.  Shane chronicles his day-to-day experiences on Tumblr; his fan base grows astronomically, leading to a documentary about his life.  His book, peppered liberally with profanity and risqué sex references, spans his diagnosis through his college years.  He affirms that he is very much the typical young adult with a healthy social life, romantic and sexual interests, a sense of adventure, intelligence, and a rapier sharp wit. 

Critical Analysis

Hardship is a dominant theme in Laughing at My Nightmare; it acts as a dual for Shane’s optimism and humor.  He is hospitalized several times for grave illnesses and has to undergo major, potentially life-threatening surgeries. Shane is greatly limited in his activities and requires extensive modifications to enjoy elemental pleasures that people his age take for granted.   This memoir will put a lot of issues into perspective for teen readers.  After reexamining their own hardships, they may discover that their problems are not as all-encompassing as they once thought in comparison to Shane’s, or decide their struggles are not insurmountable. Hopefully, readers will borrow from his positive outlook and channel their negative feelings into something great.

Young adults will certainly identify with Shane’s hunger for normalcy and acceptance.  Though his body is weak, he builds his mind and personality to convince himself, and especially his peers, that he is just as capable and cool as they are.  Shane incorporates his chair into activities to be part of the group.  He often bristles at having to ride the “short” bus or do adaptive physical education classes because he does not view himself as handicapped.  Teens unanimously agree that appearance is (practically) everything at this stage of life.  They will understand Shane’s insecurities about his chair and deformities.  They can also take courage in the fact that he has an amazing core group, and millions of friends via his social media accounts.  The message is that no matter how different you feel, there is a place where you fit perfectly.

Maturity is dominating theme of LAMN.  Shane, like all adolescents, craves independence.  He is intent on going to college to meet new people and get the real world experience, especially because his disease keeps him tethered so much.  Shane is exhilarated by the prospect of teenage debauchery. He speaks unabashedly about fooling around with hot girls (he is QUITE the ladies’ man and gets a whole lot of action!) and releasing his inner stud, both collaboratively and singularly.  Teens will find Shane’s romantic and sexual desires mirror their own.  They will appreciate his candor about arousal and masturbation.  The inner struggle of loving and needing one’s parents while desperately wanting to cut loose is a hallmark of young adulthood.

Humor takes many forms in LAMN, ranging from sarcastic, potty, dirty, to cathartic.  Shane is self-deprecating, a tactic teenagers can adopt at a time of such awkwardness; if you can laugh at yourself, you will no longer fear the laughter of others because you beat them to it. He uses levity to put new people at ease, as well as to educate the ignorant on their offensive questions/commentary. Jokes about his bathroom visits, urges, and “wiener words” abound.  Laughter is truly the crux of this memoir.  The humor will undoubtedly captivate young adult readers from start to finish. Like pain, laughter is universal, so it can bridge the gap between people from opposite sides of life’s fence, i.e. able bodied versus differently/disabled.  Shane’s ability to inspire laughter shows his audience that he is just like them in many ways.  Most importantly, there is healing in humor– adolescents who deal with depression, poverty, drug addiction, sexual abuse, and the like will see that buried beneath their deepest pain are reasons to smile.

 

LAMN has innumerable strengths. The inclusion of personal photos puts a face to SMA, while still giving readers a tangible peer that they can identify with.  With the abundance of dirty jokes, graphic visual images, and one-liners, this is definitely not a “you-poor-thing” sob story; the humor keeps it light.   Shane uses a second-person point of view and conversational tone, which makes readers feel like they are one of his many friends.  There is such an eloquence in his simple, candid descriptions; Burcaw is extremely well-spoken. However, some readers, particularly parents and administrators, may find graphic sexual references to masturbation, oral sex, arousal, and frequent profanity disturbing.  In his quest for normalcy, Shane can come off as elitist. At times, he separates himself from and makes fun of the mentally disabled, throws his intelligence in peoples’ faces, and exploits his disability to get special privileges. 

Laughing at My Nightmare has an enduring place in teen literature.  Quite frankly, disability is not discussed in literature nearly enough, especially where young people are concerned.  This book gives disability a voice.  It shows that disabled people have the same interests, desires, and deserve the same treatment as everyone else.  It is a testament that for as much as people differ, there are bedrock qualities that link everyone.  Shane’s story is told with shocking honesty, which young adults will certainly respect, and it is a true inspiration to all who hear/read it.

Awards

• 2015 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Finalist
• 2015 Quick Picks for Young Adult Reader

Published Review

"Laughing at My Nightmare." Rev. of Laughing at My Nightmare, by Shane Burcaw. Kirkus Reviews 12 August 2014.  Web.  http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-62672-007-7.

Extension Activities

1. Hell on Wheels – Shane recounts the struggles of designing a yearly Halloween costume that would include his wheelchair in a cool, visually appealing way (He insists on no dopey box-over-chair-makes-truck theme!).  Brainstorm and sketch a costume for that incorporates wheelchairs.  It should be creative, unorthodox, and involve not just the chair, but clothing and props as well.
2. Laugh With Shane – Get to know the man behind the chair in all of his blunt, hilarious glory!  Read Shane's blog posts at http://laughingatmynightmare.tumblr.com.  View the short video, "My Last Days," at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwZZZkrJycQ. Visit his website, laughingatmynightmare.com to learn about helping people with muscular dystrophy get much-needed equipment and accommodations.  
3. The World Through My Eyes – Can you imagine how hard it would be in class if you could not seem to focus, if the letters on the pages just did not make sense, if you could not get the numbers to add up? Go to https://www.understood.org/en/tools/through-your-childs-eyes and pick at least two simulations to experience what life is like for people with learning disabilities. Watch the accompanying videos of kids describing their challenges.

Related Literature

• Bell, CeCe.  El Deafo. New York:  Harry N. Abrams Publishing, 2014.  Print. ISBN:  978-1419710209 – In this part graphic-novel, part biography, CeCe Bell recounts how a childhood bout with meningitis left her deaf.  She makes the uncomfortable, but often humorous adjustments to her new world.  At first she is embarrassed by her bulky Phonic Ear, but she adopts an alter-ego, El Deafo, and uses the hearing aid as her superpower for making friends and having fun adventures
• Erskine, Kathryn.  Mockingbird.  New York:  Philomel Books, 2010.  Print.  ISBN:  978-0399252648 – 10-year-old Caitlin sees things in crisp black and white lines.  Because she has Asperger’s syndrome, ambiguities like color, facial expressions, social customs, and figures of speech confuse and frustrate her.  Her older brother, Devon, was always there to comfort and help her with her awkwardness.  When he is killed in a school shooting, Caitlin has to muddle through grief that is only compounded by ASD, with only the dictionary definition of closure and Devin’s half-finished project as her guides.
• Giles, Gail.  Girls Like Us.  Somerville:  Candlewick Press, 2014.  Print.  ISBN:  978-0763662677 – Sassy Quincy and timid Biddy are paired together as roommates after graduating from a special needs program.  They each secure jobs and must learn to take care of themselves and one another.   Together, they tackle an unsympathetic world that has fangs bared to prey on their perceived weaknesses.