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JOEY CARLSON
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​The Shape of Courage

​A NOVEL BY JOEY CARLSON

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THE SHAPE OF COURAGE is an upcoming 65,000-word coming-of-age novel about ability, young love, and the true nature of a hero.

​The novel features Neil Howard, an eighteen-year-old young man who suffers a spinal cord injury during a bridge collapse.


After spending three months in the hospital, Neil rolls into Spirit Center (a rehab facility for people with physical disabilities) using a power wheelchair. He is frightened by the mix of characters he meets at the center, including a heartbroken paraplegic drug dealer, a sleepy widower, a blind blues club bouncer, and a former pro soccer player with a brain injury.

Neil and the group of misfits spend months together recovering, bonding, creating mischief, and researching the root cause of their injuries. He also navigates a love triangle that includes a popular girl from his high school class and a quirky quadriplegic living at Spirit Center.

The story comes to an exciting climax when Neil and his new friends piece together their stories and unlock a mystery surrounding their injuries.
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This fictional young adult novel is based on Joey's own experience going from a normal high school life to the very adult world of a rehab center.

About the Author

When Joey was seventeen years old, he won the US Junior National Speedskating Championship. His goal was to skate in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

On August 3 of 2000, those dreams were dashed when he was in a car accident, broke his neck, and severely damaged his spinal cord. Joey would never skate or walk again.

After his injury, he went on living life to its fullest. Joey finished high school, college, and his master’s degree. Today he is a successful writer and marketing professional.
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