Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw

Burcaw, S. (2017). Not so different: What you really want to ask about having a disability. (M. Carr, Illus.) Roaring Brook Press. 

       Shane Burcaw was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as a baby and has been living with this disability ever since. This also means he has been dealing with the curiosities of people regarding what it is like to live with a disability since then which encouraged him to author this book on himself and his experiences. Though the title may imply that it is a book on disabilities in general, it is more specifically about Burcaw’s life with SMA describing a unique experience that cannot be applied to everyone, making him the best authority on the subject. The book is written in a conversational tone with every subject being introduced by a question he is commonly asked. The book then follows the flow of how a typical conversation revolving this subject with follow-up questions to better explain mentioned facts that many may not be used to. Sometimes a question takes multiple pages to answer while others are answered in a single spread. While the writing doesn’t shy away from being honest, it also doesn’t take too science-based of an approach, so that anyone can understand the basics of the disability and find out what they really want to know. This also means that the answers are simple and straightforward often including comparisons to help the reader understand in a way that they can relate to like, “I can drive my chair about as fast as you can ride your bike…” Because this book is based on his own life, Burcaw does not need references, so there is no bibliography though an Author’s Note is included at the end. This note provides a deeper look at SMA and the types that exist as well as a further explanation of the parts of his life that could not be included with the questions he answered throughout the book.

       The images included are all photos from his past or professionally taken by Matt Carr. Some of the photos assist in answering the questions illustrating the exact details Burcaw describes while others provide some humor to the book which fits with the tone. All throughout the book, Burcaw and Carr provide some with jokes and anecdotes which help in promoting the message of the entire book which is that people with disabilities are simply different in the same way that people with different hair colors or interests are different. Humor is a great way to break down barriers, so Burcaw uses this as an advantage to prove his point.