Module 12: The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon

Bibliographic Citation: Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals. New York: Vintage Books, 2004.

Plot Summary:

Brent is 14 years old when he decides to douse his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and light a match.  His goal was to kill himself, but the flames were too hot and he began to yell for his brother Craig.  Craig calls 911 and soon the fire trucks and ambulance are there.  Brent is checked into the Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. where he is to spend a few months recovering.  

Brent is able to breath because of a tube in his mouth and he goes through different surgeries to fix his burned skin.  While in recovery, Brent must speak with a psychologist, and this he does not enjoy.  The psychologists asks him if this was the first time he attempted to commit suicide and it turns out it was attemot number 3 or 4.  Brent stays in the Children's National Medical Center for about four months, and he recovers failry well.  He is then transferred to an institute in Delaware.  Brent does not like the new place he is being sent to and he feels it is a jail, not a recovery center.  Again, he deals with different psychologists, all of whomhe hates talking to and refuses to answer their questions.  When his parents ask him about the incident, he doesn't know what to tell them.  His bother hardly ever visits him and he holds a grudge on Brent, because the family has been torn apart because of Brent. 

In September, Brent finally goes back home.  He adjusts to being home and seeing the bathroom where he attempted suicide is tough for him.  However, soon enough Brent is off to school and he continues his life.           

My Impressions of the Book:

I must say that this is one of my favorite books now because I was able to enter the world of a disturbed teenage boy; struggling to find himself and his place in this world.  As I began to read the book, I could not believe what thought process Brent had when he decided to douse himself in gasoline and light a match.  I have always wondered what people attempting to commit suicide think about right before the act, or how people feel when they attempt to commit suicide and are unsuccessful.  This book gave me the opportunity to see that thought process, and the effects of his actions, not only in his own life but the life of his loved ones. 

Review(s) About the Book:

Barnes & Nobles Editorial Reviews: School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-One February day in 1991, Runyon came home from eighth grade, had a snack, soaked his full-length bathrobe in gasoline, and set himself on fire. He intended to kill himself. Everything shortly after is written in short bursts as the author takes readers in and out of his various states of consciousness: the helicopter ride; the parade of nurses, doctors, therapists, and orderlies at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC, and the regimented details of his care divided among them; and the pain of the burns on 85 percent of his body. The entries lengthen and the story builds like a novel as the author takes readers along as co-patients. The dialogue between Runyon and his nurses, parents, and especially his hapless psychotherapists is natural and believable, and his inner dialogue is flip, often funny, and sometimes raw. The details of the surgery, therapy, and painstaking care that go into healing burns are fascinating, and are likely to grip teens with a taste for gore or melodrama. Runyon's brave willingness to relive this horrifying year in unflinching detail is perhaps even more fascinating, as is the slowly unfolding mystery of the sadness that made a smart, popular, funny, loving boy try to take his own life. Depression, regret, and rebirth are the themes that tie the narrative together, and the subtle tension among the three are beautifully related, offering no neat resolution. The authentically adolescent voice of the journals will engage even those reluctant to read such a dark story.-Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Barnes & Nobles Editorial Reviews: Publisher's Weekly

Publishers Weekly

Engrossing from first page to last, this book based on Runyon's own adolescent experiences draws readers into the world of an eighth-grader whose life is irrevocably changed the day he deliberately sets himself on fire. Brent, after narrowly escaping death, wakes up in a hospital with 85% of his body severely burned and begins a slow, arduous path to recovery. Rather than analyzing reasons the patient wanted to kill himself, the first-person narrative remains focused on the immediate challenge of survival, incorporating meticulous details of Brent's day-to-day ordeals in the hospital and later in a rehabilitation center. Time, at first, is measured by Brent's fluctuating levels of discomfort and comfort, ranging from the excruciating pain of having bandages removed to the sheer bliss of tasting ice cream for the first time in several weeks. And his repentant apologies to his parents and to Craig, his brother, who discovers Brent immediately after the incident, are wrenching in their honesty ("I hope Craig can love me again"). When his wounds begin to heal, Brent's thoughts turn from the present to the future as he nervously makes plans to return home and re-enter society. Despite its dark subject matter, this powerful chronicle of Brent's journey to heal expresses hope, celebrates life and provides an opportunity to slip inside the skin of a survivor with a unique perspective. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Use in Library Setting:

I would display this book in a library display dedicated to autobiographies, or maybe a display on suicide prevention.  I would also use this book if a teen came looking for a book written in the journal format.