Terry Trueman


Terry Trueman 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.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Trueman has lived in Spokane, Washington since 1974. He also had a home in Tucson, Arizona for many years. He holds master's degrees in applied psychology and creative writing.

First novel

His first novel, Stuck in Neutral, 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 in turn grew to become the novel, Stuck in Neutral. The acclaim and impact that book had inspired two other companion novels for teens, Cruise Control and Life Happens Next, as well as a non-fiction book about his son, Sheehan: Heartbreak and Redemption. His other YA novels include Inside Out,No Right Turn, Seven Days at the Hot Corner, Hurricane, and "The Kid who killed Cole Hardt. His books have received numerous national honors and he is considered by many to be one of the godfathers of the "problem" novel, along with Chris Crutcher and Walter Dean Myers. pg=AuthorBio&ID=11

Awards

Awards include: Louisa Kern Fund grants in support of writing poetry, 1970 and 1971; Summer Seminar for College Teachers, National Endowment for the Humanities, 1989; Exceptional Faculty Award for teaching excellence, Spokane Falls Community College, 1996; Ten Best First Novels and Editors Choice awards inclusion, Booklist, 2000, Best Books for the Teen Age designation, New York Public Library, 2001, Best Books for Young Adults designation and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers designation, American Library Association, 2001, Children's Book Council's Not Just for Children Anymore listee, 2001, National Association for Special Education Needs Highly Recommended Award, Publishers Association, and Michael L. Printz Honor Award, Young Adult Library Services Association, all 2001, and numerous local and state awards, for numerous publications.

Novelist, poet, and writer

White Hills Technical Schools, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, English and social studies teacher, 1972–74; Spokane Community Mental Health Center, Spokane, WA, therapist, 1975–80; Escuela International Sanpedrana, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, secondary school counselor, 1981–82; Eastern Washington University, teaching fellow in English, 1983–85; Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane, WA, instructor in communications department, 1985-2001
Trueman's favorite author is Charles Bukowski. Like Bukowski, Trueman had written his whole life but only gained recognition later, when he was 52. His latest work is poetry for adults, '. And a second collection of new poems, Where We Going With This? and another selection of "new writings" titled "Clawing at the Door, Scratching at the Window" '' . And "ant-god to the rescue" new writings 2018.

Early life

He spent his childhood growing-up in the northern suburbs of Seattle, Washington with his parents, father Sydney M. Trueman and mother Jeanne Trueman. He has one sister, Cynthia M. Trueman. His interests in growing-up included, sports, both playing and spectating, as well as many social activities. On his mother's side, his family goes back several generations in the Pacific Northwest, mainly in Seattle, and includes a direct ancestral relation to the Pankhursts of England, prominent leaders of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the early 20th century. Trueman's father was a fighter pilot in WW2 and won the Air Medal, flying off the Aircraft Carrier USS Ticonderoga, his family ancestry was Scottish and perhaps Irish prior to immigrating to Alabama, early in the 20th Century.

Education

Trueman struggled in school, especially during middle school and high school, but graduated from Shoreline H.S.. He attended Shoreline Community College and Everett Community College prior to enrolling at the University of Washington where he earned his bachelor's degree, majoring in Creative Writing in English. He received a Master of Science in Developmental Psychology from Eastern Washington State College. His Masters Thesis "Personality Correlates of Moral Development," is housed in the Eastern Washington University Library. He pursued further graduate study in the Education Dept. of Washington State University. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Washington University. His MFA thesis, titled "Black Lipstick," is housed in the Eastern Washington University Library. Mr. Trueman was 'lifetime' certified as a K-12 licensed Teacher in 1973.

Poetry

Numerous small press publications
SHEEHAN a narrative poem
HUGE HOUSE
WHERE'S THE FIRE? Selected Poems
WHERE WE GOING WITH THIS? Selected Poems 2015-2016
CLAWING AT THE DOOR, SCRATCHING AT THE WINDOW New Writings
ANT GOD TO THE RESCUE, New Writings

Novels

From HarperCollins:
Stuck in Neutral
Inside Out
Cruise Control
No Right Turn
7 Days at the Hot Corner
Hurricane Published as Swallowing the Sun in UK
Life Happens Next
From Stillwaters Publishing
Getting'Weird
M.C. Idol The Funniest Kid in the World
Non-fiction Collaborations with Michael Gurian
What Stories Does my Son Need?
Boys nd Girls Learn Differently!

International Publications and Translations

Inside Out- Purchased by publisher in Denmark for publication there, 2004.
Inside Out- ESL Edition, Klett Publishers, Germany
Swallowing the Sun- a novel, published by Hodder-Stoughton Publishers, United Kingdom 2003
Stuck in Neutral- Hodder-Stoughton Publishers, United Kingdom, 2001
Stuck in Neutral- Translated and Published Japan.
Stuck in Neutral- Purchased for French language edition by Poche France, in June 2001
Stuck in Neutral- Translated and published Korea—2009
Hurricane- Bonner Carlson, Denmark 2003