this book hits u on a level that u didnt think any book could reach. its touching and moving. u will love it ( )

This is about a teenage boy (the author) who is depressed and tries to commit suicide by lighting his robe on fire. He goes into detail about how he feels during the fire and after. He tells about his time in the hospital, how he feels about his suicide and the impact it had on his family. Despite the very seriousness of the subject he adds in some lightness and joking which makes it a very interesting read. There is some profanity and sexual talk. ( )

Maybe this was written for teens and, that, I am not. The first part of the book was interesting enough and held some promise, but his lack of introspection and insight left me disappointed. There were a few good parts to the book, like when he was describing his recovery and his apprehension about his appearance. But, I was expecting much more from this book. I would not recommend it to anyone.

This book is an absolutely devestating, and in the end viscerally refreshing, anatomy of a suicide. The author writes with so much honestly and openness, with a level of clarity and bravery that few people acheive. For me, it answered the question "What were they thinking?" ( )

I liked that the person who wrote this wrote about his experense with what he went trought. And i think it will help other people who may have went troguth the same thing with dealing with it. ( )

The Burn Journals is a cautionary tale—beware, suicidal teenagers, your life may become a bigger torture than you could ever imagine. Better to do some hard work and figure out why you're in distress first, before you burn/shoot/leap/drink/drug yourself. I liked the close detail and how honestly Runyon writes.
-Nan Bell, Librarian, Ithaca High School

When Brent Runyon was 14 years old, he deliberately set himself on fire. He survived despite being burned over 85% of his body, and spent months in recovery and therapy. I found this book a disappointment. The details about the burn recovery were interesting, but Runyon never really explained why he tried to commit suicide or how he recovered his mental health. People seeking to learn about depression and suicide would do well to look elsewhere. ( )

There was nothing that prepared me for this sad memoir of a young 8th grade boy who is so depressed he attempts to kill himself by lighting himself on fire in his parent's bathroom. I still can't wrap my brain around someone being so unhappy in life that they would go to such an extreme. The fire is only a small part of the book -- it's Runyon's healing in the burn unit of a hospital that grips you. The long road back for him becomes a part of the reader, and it's impossible not to finish this book without feeling emotional and spent.

Excellent read, but be prepared for heavy feelings.

Awards Won:
WINNER - New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
NOMINEE 2007 - Missouri Gateway Readers Award
WINNER 2006 - Pennyslvania Young Readers Choice Master List
WINNER 2007 - Rhode Island Teen Book Master List
WINNER 2006 - Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List ( )

The title of my book is The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon. The thing that makes this book more fun is that it’s written as an autobiography. The main character is Brent. He has to deal with many problems in his life as you read this book. His mother is a very kind, sweet, loveable mother. Brent’s dad is a hardworking and very caring man. Brent’s brother, Craig, is Brent’s older brother and he’s very caring ass well. This story takes place in Falls Church, Virginia in 1991. The theme for this story would have to be survival.
Brent is like any other young teenager. He was 14 years old and was in the 8th grade. You would think that Brent would be living a good life because his parents were so nice and gave him everything he wanted but that’s where it’s wrong. Brent is always depressed and he’s tried committing suicide plenty of times. He’s tried hanging himself, cutting, overdosing on pills and much more.
Brent went overboard when an incident in school occurred and Brent ended up burning his whole body after the incident. This was a turning point in everyone’s lives. The people who really cared about Brent were very worried and this whole incident was terrible. Brent had to deal with many complications after the incident and as you read the book, you will see what they are.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is very interested in cases like this. The author has very good ways to help you see all the things he went through, he gives great imagery. Overall, this book was very great and if you would like to see what happens to Brent, you should read this book Imagine yourself in his situation as you read the book.

It takes a lot of courage to write a book like this. Most people can not write so openly and honestly about their feelings, especially when they know they've done something to grievously hurt their family. But Brent Runyon can, and does.

As an eighth grader, Brent set fire to himself in a suicide attempt. He suffered sever burns over 85% of his body, but, obviously, did not die. Brent's story takes us from the events immediately preceding his attempt and through the many months of his recovery.

Much of the narrative is taken up with the details and routines that anyone suffering such severe burns must endure, no matter how they occurred. But in Brent's case there is the ever-present knowledge that he brought this on himself.

Although I wish we could have learned more about why Brent attempted suicide in the first place, he says very plainly (through recounted sessions with assorted psychologists) that he doesn't really know why he did it, can't remember what could have made him so sad and desperate, and certainly isn't going to do anything like it again. A cautionary tale indeed for any teens thinking of committing suicide. ( )

Devastating true

tale of self-immolation.

Brilliantly conveyed.

i thought that this book was really good. it really showed brent runyon's struggle to once again live a normal life. in the book you go through his journey and find out his decision to see if he really wants to recover and forget about his suicide past, or go back to the way it was before. ( )

There were times that this book was difficult to read, simply because I have a fifteen-year old son. The teenage years are tough - I've been there. But, I hate to think that anyone could feel as hopeless as Brent Runyon did on that February afternoon.

After the debrieding treatments, skin grafts, and surgeries, Runyon begins healing emotionally. When he is asked why he attempted suicide, he answers honestly, "I don't remember anything about myself back then." It's heartbreaking to think that those feelings that drove him to hurt himself were so transitory.

Eventually Runyon makes it through rehab, the treatment center, and to high school. Once there, his friends welcome him with open arms. At this point, any thoughts of suicide seem far away. However, Runyon points out that the depression that haunted him as a fourteen-year old does return. As an adult, he realizes that he must ask for help. He is now in therapy, taking medication, and living a productive life.

Runyon's voice come through very clearly in this memoir - one of the main reason I enjoyed this book so much. His style is clear, honest, and no-nonsense. He tackles the difficult topics of self-worth, sexual activity, pain, and uncertainty - all without playing the victim.

I would highly recommend this book for older teens. The lessons Runyon has to teach are vital - and often not discussed. ( )

One of the most haunting and real memoirs I have ever read. A great teaching story for high school aged kids. ( )

This is an excellent book in all aspects. It is well written, interesting and informative. It is also disturbing. To be fourteen and feel the way that Brent does must be so traumatic. It would have been interesting to read a bit from his parents but then that isn't what this book is about.

Nothing is left to the imagination; the reader knows exactly what the pain of taking a bath would feel like or the pain of being turned in bed. For me the most distressing part was actually the moment he set himself alight.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. The blurb is right and how often does that happen? The ending leaves you content but curious. I was that involved I regretted having to go to sleep but made sure I didn't put it down the next day.

Although the 'chapters' are extremely lengthy there are plenty of places to stop reading - however it's that good why would you want to! ( )

There was nothing that prepared me for this sad memoir of a young 8th grade boy who is so depressed he attempts to kill himself by lighing himself on fire in his parent's bathroom. I still can't wrap my brain around someone being so unhappy in life that they would go to such an extreme. The fire is only a small part of the book -- it's Runyon's healing in the burn unit of a hospital that grips you. The long road back for him becomes a part of the reader, and it's impossible not to finish this book without feeling emotional and spent.

Excellent read, but be prepared for heavy feelings. ( )

This book wasn't half bad. I am not sure I really liked the pace of the book. I mean, I read it quite freely, and I didn't have to think very hard, but felt like there could have been more.... It was written from the view point of a 14 year old, which was enlightening and annoying all at the same time. I was kind of hoping this book would be a little more, ah, intense? I am not really sure how to explain it. Runyon how ever is a very brave strong person. He never makes excuses for what he did to himself. He just keeps living. I liked that this book wasn't about "poor me" but it just told it like it was. That was inspiring. But, I also wonder how he was able to remember the details he did writing this book 10 years later. It makes some of it a bit hard to believe. Not that I don't believe he had those particular feelings, but some of the details I am sure were added or made up. I mean he was writing like a 14 year old when he was 24, you know? It made me a little leary. It is interesting to hear about how much time he spent in various hosptials and how long his recovery was, however. Being an adult, I wonder how much his treatment cost, being in the hospital for 10 months an all.. and nothing like that was mentioned at all. Anyhow, it kept my interest and it mildly interesting. ( )

This true tale is extremely moving and funny. Runyon leaves nothing unsaid in this honest and open memoir, He is neither a great hero overcoming odds, nor a tragic victim of depression. The book is longer than most others in this database, but the narrative is entertaining and fast moving, even through the most difficult, emotional parts. ( )

This was one of the hardest books I've ever read. It was so difficult reading about him lighting himself on fire and all of the pain and surgeries he had to go through afterwards. Very disturbing. The ending of the book seemed to drag on as he brought up things and events that didn't seem relevant, but still a good read. ( )

The memoir of a boy, who as an 8th grader, tried to commit suicide by burning himself, the six months on painful skin grafts and the long road to recovering his life. ( )

When a teen (or anyone, for that matter) commits suicide the big question that everyone is left wondering is “Why?” In this autobiography, The Burn Journals, by Brent Runyon, we are given a rare glimpse into the mind of a teenager who survives a horrific suicide attempt.

Short Plot Summary: In 1991, fourteen year old Brent Runyon is in a heap of trouble at school for lighting someone’s gym locker on fire. Distressed by this and many other issues, he decides that the way to end this pain is to catch himself on fire so that he can’t change his mind and save himself at the last minute. He ends up with third-degree burns over 85% of his body and a long, hard recovery—both physically and mentally.

The following passage shows Brent’s thinking during the moments right his suicide attempt. The passage is shocking and honest and pulls the reader into Brent’s world.

"I walk out to the shed to get the gas can. I bring it inside to the bathroom at the top of the stairs because that’s the room with the most locks. I go back downstairs and get the matches from the kitchen.
I take off all my clothes and put on the pair of red boxers with glow-in-the-dark lips that my mom bought for me at the mall last weekend. I bring my bathrobe into the shower and I pour the gasoline all over it. The gas can is only about a quarter full, but it seems like enough.
I step into the bathtub and I put the bathrobe over my shoulders. It’s wet and heavy, but there’s something kind of comforting about the smell, like going on a long car trip. I hold the box of matches out in front of me in my left hand.
I take a strike-anywhere match and hold it against the box.
Should I do it?
Yes. Do it.
I strike the match, but it doesn’t light. Try again.
I light the match. Nothing happens. I bring it closer to my wrist and then it goes up, all over me, eating through me everywhere. I can’t breathe. I’m screaming, “Craig! Craig!” ( )

If you've never contemplated the horrific act of suicide by fire, it might seem too incomprehensible to read about, and you might just go into this book with a bad attitude against Brent Runyon. But he never makes excuses for himself, which is part of what makes this book so powerful. The memoir hasn't a whiff of "woe is me" in it, despite the fact that it could be full of it; additionally, Runyon takes the high road by never daring to suggest that he is some expert on teen suicide. He just tells the story and lets his story work its magic. ( )

Emotional, with touches of humor. Good discussion.

We're reading this for the PHS Book Club, and so I'm reading it for the second time (which I don't usually do). But I'm forced to remember why I like this one so much. Brent Runyon's autobiography is shocking and a tearjerker. I love it. This book is SOOO much better than A Child Called It and any of the Pelzer books. I wish this one received the same amount of press. This book is on the 2005-2006 Abe Lincoln list and the author has created an awesome website at www.burnjournals.com. Go to the site to see pictures of the author and excerpts of interviews. Mr. Runyon sets himself on fire at fourteen, and spends a year plus in recovery. This is his story. It's not depressing, and I love the musical references. He's my age, so I listened to the same music as he did--Suicidal Tendencies, Warrant, etc. Ahh, I'm showing my age! ( )