Terry Trueman

'''Terry Trueman''' (born December 15, 1947) is a [[Michael L. Printz Award|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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-12 |title=‘Where’s the Fire?’ takes Trueman back to his roots |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jul/12/wheres-the-fire-takes-trueman-back-to-his-roots/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref> He also had a home in [[Tucson, Arizona]] for many years. He holds master's degrees in applied psychology and creative writing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teenreads.com/authors/terry-trueman |title=Terry Trueman |publisher=Teenreads.com |date= |accessdate=2015-06-04 |archive-date=2015-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605021255/http://www.teenreads.com/authors/terry-trueman |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life==

Trueman grew up in the northern suburbs of [[Seattle, Washington]] with his parents. His father, Sydney M. Trueman, was a fighter pilot in [[World War II]] and won the [[Air Medal]] flying off the Aircraft Carrier USS Ticonderoga. He has one sister.<ref>[http://guides.library.ucmo.edu/specialcollections 8. The Phillip Sadler Research Center for Children's and Young Adult Literature] at The University of Central Missouri, in Warrensburg MO. houses an extensive collection of Terry Trueman's personal papers, photographs, videos and other materials relating to the writings and life. Retrieved 2015-06-11.</ref>

==Education==

Trueman struggled in school, especially during middle school and high school, but graduated from Shoreline H.S. in 1966. He attended [[Shoreline Community College]] and [[Everett Community College]] in the following couple years, prior to enrolling at the [[University of Washington]] in 1968, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1973, majoring in Creative Writing in English. He received a Master of Science in Developmental Psychology from Eastern Washington State College in 1975. He pursued further graduate study in the Education Dept. of Washington State University between 1980 and 1981. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from [[Eastern Washington University]] in 1984. Trueman was 'lifetime' certified as a K-12 licensed Teacher in 1973.<ref>[http://www.cengage.com/search/productOverview.do;jsessionid=F1330989484FE9A679CE29E06BC7D915?N=197+4294916915&Ntk=P_EPI&Ntt=110808912611166207411187162436533505368&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial 9. Terry Trueman, Contemporary Authors, Gale series] (December 2007). Retrieved 2015-06-11.</ref>

== Career as a writer == His first novel, ''[[Stuck in Neutral]]'' was published in 2001, and 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''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Flowers |first=Mark |url=http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2012/08/29/interview-with-terry-trueman/ |title=Interview with Terry Trueman | The Hub |publisher=Yalsa.ala.org |date=2013-02-05 |accessdate=2015-06-04 |archive-date=2015-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605060023/http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2012/08/29/interview-with-terry-trueman/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Trueman released two other companion novels for teens, ''Cruise Control'' (2004) and ''Life Happens Next'' (2012), as well as a non-fiction book about his son, ''Sheehan: Heartbreak and Redemption'' (2007).

Trueman's favorite author is [[Charles Bukowski]]. Like Bukowski, Trueman had written his whole life but only gained recognition later, when he was 52.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://authorturf.com/interview-with-award-winning-author-terry-trueman-2/authorinterviews |title=Interview with Award-Winning Author Terry Trueman |publisher=Authorturf.com |date=2013-04-28 |accessdate=2015-06-04}}</ref>

== Selected works ==

* {{cite book |title=[[Stuck in Neutral]] |date=2000 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=9780064472135 |edition=1st}} * {{cite book |title=Inside out |date=2003 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=9780066239637 |edition=1st}} * {{cite book |title=Swallowing the sun |date=2003 |publisher=Hodder Children's |location=London |isbn=9780340866412}} * {{cite book |title=Cruise control |date=2004 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=9780066239606 |edition=1st}} * {{cite book |title=No Right Turn |date=2005 |publisher=HarperTempest |location=New York |isbn=9780060574925 |edition=1st}}

==Awards== * [[Michael L. Printz Award|Michael L. Printz Honor Award]], 2001<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jensen |first1=Karen |title=YA A to Z: Terry Trueman |url=https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=ya-a-to-z-terry-trueman |website=School Library Journal |accessdate=2 October 2020}}</ref>  ==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trueman, Terry}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Writers from Birmingham, Alabama]] [[Category:American writers of young adult novels]] [[Category:21st-century American novelists]] [[Category:American male novelists]] [[Category:21st-century American male writers]] [[Category:Novelists from Alabama]] [[Category:1947 births]]