Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.
Summary:
The Burn Journals is an account of the author's suicide attempt, and his subsequent recovery. Brent attempted to take his own life by setting himself on fire, and as a result suffers burns to 85 % of his body. After his attempt, he spends months in a burn recovery unit of a hospital during which he undergoes several surgeries to replace skin that had been burned. After this he goes to two different rehabilitation centers, one for physical recovery and the other for his mental recovery, after which he is to go back into high school. This book is from the point of view of the author and provides insight into his mind as he goes through this part of his life. The book takes the reader through the pain of therapy, discussions with Brent's family and nurses, as well as the thoughts in Brent's mind.
My Impressions:
This is a book that presents a very difficult subject in a straightforward manner without any avoidance of possibly difficult subjects. I believe that young adult readers will appreciate this book because it is from the point of view of a teenager, who must face the problems that every other teenager faces. It also discusses a real suicide attempt and the effect that it has on those involved. Through this book, the reader gains a better insight into the mind of a teenager with emotional problems. This book, from the point of view of a teenager who suffered a real suicide attempt, will speak to troubled teenagers more so than any teacher or parent can.
Suggestions for the use of this book:
This would be a good book to recommend to a troubled teenager, or during lessons on suicide prevention.
Reviews:
Lewis, Johanna. Review of The Burn Journals, by Brent Runyon. School Library Journal, November 1, 2004.
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.
Review of The Burn Journals, by Brent Runyon. Publisher's Weekly, October 11, 2004.
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.
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