Laughing At My Nightmare

With acerbic wit and a hilarious voice, Shane Burcaw's Laughing at My Nightmare describes the challenges he faces as a twenty-one-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy. From awkward handshakes to having a girlfriend and everything in between, Shane handles his situation with humor and a "you-only-live-once" perspective on life. While he does talk about everyday issues that are relatable to teens, he also offers an eye-opening perspective on what it is like to have a life threatening disease.

With his signature wit, twenty-something author, blogger, and entrepreneur Shane Burcaw is back with 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 hillarious YouTube duo, Squirmy and Grubs, which he runs with his girlfriend, now fiancee, Hannah Aylward.

Not So Different offers a humorous, relatable, and refreshingly honest glimpse into Shane Burcaw’s life. Shane tackles many of the mundane and quirky questions that he’s often asked about living with a disability, and shows readers that he’s just as approachable, friendly, and funny as anyone else. Shane Burcaw was born with a rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy, which hinders his muscles’ growth. As a result, his body hasn’t grown bigger and stronger as he’s gotten older—it’s gotten smaller and weaker instead. This hasn’t stopped him from doing the things he enjoys (like eating pizza and playing sports and video games) with the people he loves, but it does mean that he routinely relies on his friends and family for help with everything from brushing his teeth to rolling over in bed. A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017

The Valley Muscular Dystrophy (MDA) Camp is the setting for this inspiring story about eight-year-old TJ and his first ride in an amazing machine, a motorcycle sidecar. He and a group of campers with similar disabilities become fast friends. As TJ gets ready for his inaugural ride, a dangerous storm headed toward the camp threatens to ruin his day. A colorful group of motorcycle riders responsible for making the dream ride a reality, are caught in the same storm. As the campers prepare for the storm, the bikers brave the frightening weather and push onward toward the camp.

The future becomes what we make it, and we make what we envision. In darkness, we can envision light. In hard times, we can use the tools we have today to build an easier tomorrow for ourselves and others. The future is about hope. Join us in this anthology of six stories about the future and about how science and technology can help us create that better tomorrow. All profits from the sale of this anthology will go to Laughing at My Nightmare to purchase assistive devices and technology to help people live better lives. (This is not official Laughing at My Nightmare merchandise, but is a fundraising project under permission from the charity.)

This book tells the stories of disabled people who have been influential in creating modern mass media. Through the voices of key disabled media makers and collaborators, the author highlights the ways in which their contributions are changing society’s understanding of disability and shaping mass media and culture. Spanning a range of media formats – television/streaming productions, performances, podcasts, TED Talks, films, reality TV, graphic novels, and social media channels – the book illustrates how disabled people are confronting the marginalization they have faced in mass media for decades. Modern disabled media creators are leveraging new media platforms to recognize the lived experiences of disability and their authentic place in media culture. This innovative and thought-provoking volume will be an important read for scholars, disability advocates, and students of Disability Studies, Mass Communication/Media Studies, as well as mass media production faculty, disabled people, and their allies The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Discover Michael McIntyre's hilarious life-story in Life and Laughing. Michael McIntyre is Britain's biggest comedy star. He has released two record-breaking DVDs, Live and Laughing and Hello Wembley; hosts his own BAFTA-nominated BBC1 series, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow; and has picked up British Comedy Awards for Best Live Stand-Up and Best Male TV Comic. Last year he became the youngest ever host of the Royal Variety Performance, and now in 2011 he takes the hot seat as a judge in the hit ITV show Britain's Got Talent. How did he get there? Michael reveals all in his remarkably honest and hilarious autobiography. His showbiz roots, his appalling attempts to attract the opposite sex, his fish-out-of-water move from public to state school and his astonishing journey from selling just one ticket at the Edinburgh Festival to selling half a million tickets on his last tour. Michael McIntyre's Life and Laughing is riveting, poignant, romantic and above all very, very funny. Michael McIntyre was born in South London in 1976 to parents from the world of showbiz. His Hungarian mother was a dancer and his Canadian father co-wrote The Kenny Everett Television Show. Now he is a stand-up comedian who in 2009 sold out a record six nights at Wembley Arena and four nights at London's O2. Michael lives in North London with his wife Kitty and their sons Lucas and Oscar. This is his first book.