The Burn Journals: A Memoir
Oct 2005 · Sold by Vintage
4.7star
49 reviews
Ebook
336
Pages
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About this ebook
Fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, Running with Scissors, and Girl, Interrupted will be entranced by this remarkable true story of teenage despair and recovery.
“[The Burn Journals] describes a particular kind of youthful male desolation better than it has ever been described before, by anyone.” —Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon
In 1991, fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon came home from school, doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match.
He suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body and spent the next year recovering in hospitals and rehab facilities. During that year of physical recovery, Runyon began to question what he’d done, undertaking the complicated journey from near-death back to high school, and from suicide back to the emotional mainstream of life.
“[The Burn Journals] describes a particular kind of youthful male desolation better than it has ever been described before, by anyone.” —Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon
In 1991, fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon came home from school, doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match.
He suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body and spent the next year recovering in hospitals and rehab facilities. During that year of physical recovery, Runyon began to question what he’d done, undertaking the complicated journey from near-death back to high school, and from suicide back to the emotional mainstream of life.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
49 reviews
Patrick Jett
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April 11, 2015
Although I do not normally read, this book caught my attention at the first sentence. This has been by far the most amazing book that I have ever read. That's not an exaggeration. Brent Runyon does an amazing job describing his recovery and depression. He gives a great idea of what depression is like and has helped me understand mental illness better. I didn't want to hey the extra money to finish the book, as I don't with others, but I am so glad that I did. What an amazing book!
Lorie Parker
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April 19, 2014
I love this book. I feel bad for the author. I think this book will help slot of people who feel this way. When I was younger I tried committing suicide once. After that I learned nothing was worth it. It is sad how people get so depressed to do something like that and I feel bad for their families that live with that knowledge I hope people learn alot from this book.
1 person found this review helpful
A Google user
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June 3, 2011
I liked this book a lot! When I first started it read it i could not stop. The book is about a teenage boy and his problems. Brent ends up trying to commit suicide. this book is very descriptive, Brent describes being with girls, the way he feels, and the way the doctors work on him. This book really opened my eyes to the way depressed people think. I love this book and recommends it to any one for a good read.
About the author
BRENT RUNYON is a writer and regular contributor to public radio programs, including This American Life, where portions of his award-winning memoir, The Burn Journals, first aired. Booklist praised The Burn Journals as “the defining book of a new genre, one that gazes unflinchingly at boys on the emotional edge.” In his novels Maybe and Surface Tension, he retains that raw honesty. Mr. Runyon lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
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