Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body (2011)

Martin describes the “Three Furies” of his life in Chapter 18 (“The Furies”). He describes how Frustration, Fear, and Loneliness were the primary enemies of his mind and spirit, always threatening to sink him into despair. As Martin explains, “these were the phantoms that trod their blackened path through my mind” (78). Martin’s quintessential Frustration was not his inability to walk, but the fact that he could not communicate in any way. This Frustration often “started her violent lament” (79) in him. He was afraid of being powerless for the rest of his life, which made Fear a powerful force in his life. Loneliness took control of him as he spent hours completely isolated, but now and again he would remember that he did have people who loved him in his life.

In Chapter 19, “Peacock Feathers,” Martin recalls an experience that helped boost his confidence in a significant way. Virna has started working at a health center adjacent to his care center, and after Rodney suggests that Martin could help with computer issues if necessary, Virna summons Martin to help one day. After giving a talk to the health center staff in his computer voice, named “Perfect Paul,” Martin starts helping with ongoing computer issues. He feels useful, proud of how he’s able to help. Chapter 20, “Daring to Dream,” focuses mostly on an open house Martin attends, largely due to his remarkable progress with his communication systems. The open house invitees also include experts in the field, such as a woman named Dr. Diane Bryen, who runs a program called ACES in Philadelphia. Dr. Bryen challenges Martin to start truly dreaming again, to imagine and pursue what he really wants.

Chapter 21, “Secrets,” is a flashback to Martin’s experiences in the care center, where he would catch glimpses of people’s private worlds. He focuses mostly on one of his caretakers, a woman named Thelma, who tells Martin about the pain of her loss after the death of her husband. In Chapter 22, “Out of the Cocoon,” Martin describes the challenges of his new life. When no one expected anything from him, he didn’t have to voice his needs because people assumed he wasn’t cognitively present. Now, he had to ask for help, as he navigated life outside his shell. As he attends a weeklong conference on AAC, for instance, he must somehow let someone know that he needs assistance.

In Chapter 23, “An Offer I Can’t Refuse,” Martin gives a speech at the conference on his experience with AAC. After the speech, an American student named Erica befriends him, letting him know that she really enjoyed his speech. As the chapter concludes, Professor Alant, the woman who runs the center where the AAC conference takes place, offers Martin something he could never have fathomed: a job, which will start out on a trial basis, but that could turn into a more permanent position.