Preview
  • Laughing at My Nightmare

  • By: Shane Burcaw
  • Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
  • Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (566 ratings)

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Laughing at My Nightmare

By: Shane Burcaw
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
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Publisher's summary

With acerbic wit and a hilarious voice, Shane Burcaw's Laughing at My Nightmare describes the challenges he faces as a 21-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.

©2014 Shane Burcaw (P)2014 Audible Inc.
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Critic reviews

  • YALSA Nonfiction Finalist, 2015

Editorial Review

Every once in a while, I come across a title at Audible that I’m shocked I didn’t already know about. After reading up on Shane Burcaw’s life, his spinal muscular dystrophy, and all he does for other people with this disease through his nonprofit Laughing At My Nightmare, Inc., I knew I had to add this to my library. The most captivating thing about this audiobook is Shane’s sense of humor. He shows us that even when you live with a life-threatening disease, there’s still room to laugh. —Aaron S., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Laughing at My Nightmare

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious & Heartfelt

You will laugh, cry and learn along the way. Shane Burcaw is hysterically funny and delightfully irreverent!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!

So funny and a great listen. Well done
My mature 10 year old enjoyed it as well on a road trip even though I skipped a Specific chapter 😉

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic read!

I feel like I have to meet Shane Burcaw at some point in my life now! I've never read anything that honest in my life.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Shane is amazing.

Words can't describe how much I love this book. Wonderful. Inspiration and a Great rolemodel.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hilariously inspiring

Shane is a brilliant, honest and hilarious writer. His story is powerful. This book is guaranteed to uplift with laughter.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Funny and fantastic

Fans of Shane will enjoy this dirty and unapologetic story about his life and experiences.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

This book was fantastic but it ended too soon. I could easily have listened for twice as long. It also ended too soon because I wonder if he published a bit too early. All the stories in here are perfect and I wouldn't change a thing -- highly recommended. It just would have been even better as the first half of a bigger book where he's grown up a bit and had some more post-college life experience. So here's hoping for a sequel!

I can't say enough good things about Kirby Heyborne's narration. I've heard him many times now and he never disappoints.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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This book is amazing.

Shane is so entertaining and a great author. I started watching Shane on YouTube about a year and a half ago. So, I finally got around to reading his books. While his story is encouraging and amazing, that is not what makes Shane an awesome guy and writer. He is funny, empathetic, kind, an amazing writer, and a quick wit. The fact that his story is so encouraging is just one of the many reasons why this book is awesome and worth reading. Definitely worth reading, and if you're interested, check out his youtube channel Squirmy and Grubbs.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it!

I love how real he is about his life! He is great with his words.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

All Your Questions Answered (+Narrator)

Everything you ever wanted to know about life with a dystrophy. I can't even attempt one of those well-meaning-but-in-all-actuality-obnoxious quips about how "inspiring" or "brave" Shane is, because he clearly has no desire for sympathy. 2 of my takeaways are: 1. accessibility really needs to ramped up pun fully intended) and 2. I am astonished at how high Shane's pain tolerance is and what treatments he has to endure because of what SMA takes away.
"There are tons of annoying, aggravating, obnoxious, and difficult things about living with SMA. But you know what? Life is still effing awesome. Every single one of us has problems. That's part of being alive. The beauty begins when you connect with other people and realize that we're all in the same boat." - Shane Burcaw pg 246 LAMN
The narrator is fair. Not the greatest voice to listen to for hours, but by far not the most grating voice I've ever listened to. His voice is clear, steady, and even. He reads a bit on the slow side, so I did listen at 1.10x speed.

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