Summary Of Laughing At My Nightmare By Shane Burcaw

Laughing and nightmares do not usually go together. It takes courage to confront a nightmare and laugh. Shane Burcaw, the protagonist of the autobiographical book “Laughing At My Nightmare,” deals with nightmares” all his life. He is a 21-year old man living somewhere in the United States. He has a girlfriend. He likes to play basketball, watch TV, and tell jokes. Shane appears to be a typical young adult, except that he is not. He has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which binds him to his wheelchair, robs him of his movement, and gives him nightmares because he can die any moment.
“Laughing At My Nightmare,” starts when Shane is two, and he first experiences difficulty moving. The book continues to describe Shane’s life year by year.

It mentions how in the 5th grade Shane went to a camp. We see how Shane struggles with his daily life, how he is forced to rely on his caretakers for all things. Shane manages to get through high school, and then finishes college. College is the time when his neck muscles get weaker and make his head fall from time to time, and then later he loses his ability to chew and speak clearly. Not all things are bleak, however: Shane gets a girlfriend, and he starts a successful charity.
Shane copes with his misfortune with humor, and the book is written in a humorous tone, both ha-ha silly humor and sarcastic humor.

For example, when Shane needs to pee in a jar and it tips on him and his mattress, he says “Nooooo” and starts cracking up. On another occasion, he talks about his disfigured arms and says “My severely atrophied arms are sexy” and “My arms are like T-rex arms.” Shane is mentally strong. He has learned how to accept his disease. For example, he says “Look at me, I have a method for dealing with my problems that fall into this category have to do with my disease. Some examples include: realizing my arms are a lot weaker than they were a year ago, thinking about my long term future, and being unable to do things because of my wheelchair.” Shane is charitable. He devotes much of his time to his foundation “Laughing at My Nightmare.” He visits places and tries to inspire people. He also hosts Q&A sessions online and during

meet-ups.
Shane is taken care of by his dad, his brother and his best friend, Patt.

In the words of Shane, “Patt, who was a year younger than me and would eventually grow up to be one of my closest friends.” Patt spends most of his time with Shane playing video games, chatting, and playing basketball. They are having fun together despite Shane’s disability. Once upon a time, Patt and Shane’s brother attached a rope to Shane’s wheelchair. They threaded the rope through a basketball hoop and tied the other end of the rope to Shane’s brother. Then Shane and Patt started to pull the rope, so that Shane’s brother could do a slam dunk. Unfortunately, this did not work. They broke the chair, and Shane’s dad had to pay $4,000 for a pair of new

wheels.
This is a serious book with a charismatic hero, Shane. It will be particularly helpful to readers who are shy and insecure because it will inspire them to do things. Whatever problems they might have probably pale in comparison with Shane’s. If Shane can overcome his physical challenges and be mentally strong, so can they. For those like me, who are more interested in facts than feelings, this book can be useful too. It nudges to think about the human emotions. Lastly, “Laughing at my nightmare” is written in an entertaining way and it is rich with humor. So, those readers who like comedy, jokes, and laughter will find it to be quite captivating despite the serious topic.