Trueman, Terry. (2004). Cruise Control. NY: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 978-0066239606
Bibliographic Usefulness: Anger, Violence, Divorce, Absentee Father, Sports, Disability
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Paul McDaniel is angry. He's angry at the unfairness of the world; that he should be strong, but his brother has severe cerebral palsy and can't walk or talk. Mostly though, Paul's anger is directed at his father who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning poem about Shawn after he left the family.
Summary: Paul McDaniel is the best player on his basketball team, gets straight A's, and has a serious anger problem. He lives with his mom, sister, and brother Shawn, who has severe cerebral palsy. Paul, who deeply loves his brother (even though he calls him a "veg"), resents his father for abandoning him and for escaping the day-to-day realities of living with a profoundly disabled family member.
Most of Paul's anger is due to his father's leaving and then using Shawn as a prop for his writing career. Paul, though smart and talented, is filled with a rage that comes out in violent bursts. For example, he pummels a man for almost hitting a girl in a crosswalk, and is quick to anger with those around him. His best friend Tim also has problems with violence and gets thrown in jail for beating up his step-dad for hitting his mom. This shows Paul what could happen to him if he continues with his violent ways. Throughout the story, Paul's reigning question is how he can pursue happiness while his brother is suffering and his mom and sister are stuck caring for him? Paul's conflicts continue until his mom finally tells him the truth about why his father left - she asked him to.
Evaluation: This is a companion title to Stuck in Neutral which is from the perspective of Shawn, the brother with cerebral palsy. I haven't read that one, so feel I missed out a little, especially since Stuck in Neutral is supposedly the better of the two. However, Paul's frustration with his situation and the violent ways he deals with his anger are portrayed well.
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