Overview

With his signature wit, twenty-something author, blogger, and entrepreneur Shane Burcaw is back with Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse, an essay collection about living a full life in a body that many people perceive as a tragedy. From anecdotes about first introductions where people patted him on the head instead of shaking his hand, to stories of passersby mistaking his able-bodied girlfriend for a nurse, Shane tackles awkward situations and assumptions with humor and grace. On the surface, these essays are about day-to-day life as a wheelchair user with a degenerative disease, but they are actually about family, love, and coming of age. Shane Burcaw is one half of the hilarious YouTube duo, Squirmy and Grubs, which he runs with his girlfriend, now fiancee, Hannah Aylward.

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9781250233165

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Reviews

Equal parts humorous, tender, and insightful, the pieces give an unfettered look at Burcaw's life and the assumptions others make about living with a disability. - School Library Journal With the same frankness and gallows humor that marked his Laughing at My Nightmare (2014)... An accessible, smart-assed, and unexpectedly tender exploration of life, love, and disability. - Kirkus His capacity for self-reflection offers a good model for readers struggling to do the same, and his negotiation of independence will have resonance for many young people. People with disabilities still don't get the kind of #ownvoices space they merit, and Burcaw's voice makes him just plain good literary company in this approachable, enjoyable, and often edifying title. - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review With uncompromised self-confidence and contagious humor, his no-holds-barred essays address some of the curious, quirky, and even intimate questions folks have about his condition... Written in his frank, often earthy, style, this will hold readers mesmerized. - Booklist Burcaw doesn't shy away from topics that might be considered delicate; instead, he emphasizes the awkwardness, celebrating highs and lows alike. Above all, [he] succeeds in illustrating that 'disability does not equal sadness.' - Publishers Weekly Burcaw writes with humor and humility in the engaging, insightful collection of tales from his life. His anecdotes are candid and revealing-- all areas of his life are fodder for laughs and discussion. - VOYA

"★ ""His capacity for self-reflection offers a good model for readers struggling to do the same, and his negotiation of independence will have resonance for many young people. Approachable, enjoyable, and often edifying."" - The Bulletin, starred review ""Equal parts humorous, tender, and insightful, the pieces give an unfettered look at Burcaw's life and the assumptions others make about living with a disability."" - School Library Journal ""With the same frankness and gallows humor that marked his Laughing at My Nightmare (2014)... An accessible, smart-assed, and unexpectedly tender exploration of life, love, and disability."" - Kirkus Reviews ""With uncompromised self-confidence and contagious humor, his no-holds-barred essays address some of the curious, quirky, and even intimate questions folks have about his condition... Written in his frank, often earthy, style, this will hold readers mesmerized."" - Booklist ""Burcaw doesn't shy away from topics that might be considered delicate; instead, he emphasizes the awkwardness, celebrating highs and lows alike. Above all, [he] succeeds in illustrating that 'disability does not equal sadness.'"" - Publishers Weekly ""Burcaw writes with humor and humility in the engaging, insightful collection of tales from his life. His anecdotes are candid and revealing-- all areas of his life are fodder for laughs and discussion."" - VOYA"

Author Information

Shane Burcaw has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and a wicked sense of humor. He runs a blog about his experiences and is the founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing adaptive technology to people living with muscular dystrophy. He is the author of Laughing at My Nightmare and the picture book Not So Different. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his girlfriend.

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