The Burn Journals

By: Brent Runyon

Narrated by: Christopher Evan Welch

Brent Runyon's account of his attempted suicide has garnered critical accolades for its glimpse into adolescent depression and rare insight into the human condition.

Fearing expulsion and parental disapproval after lighting a shirt on fire at his school, Brent goes home, soaks his bathrobe with gasoline, steps into his shower, and strikes a match. Suffering horrific burns, Brent faces a long, painful recovery - both mentally and physically.

©2004 Brent Runyon (P)2008 Recorded Books,LLC

Critic reviews

"Runyon has, perhaps, written the defining book of a new genre, one that gazes ... unflinchingly at boys on the emotional edge." (Booklist, starred review)

Christopher Evan Welch; whatta man

The narrator was phenomenal and definitely added such heart to the story. Very good job

The possum

Second listen and still a great book bring back memories of when I’d travel and when I read this book

Amazing

What did you love best about The Burn Journals?

Everybody should read it. Provides great lessons.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't know, they're all great

What about Christopher Evan Welch’s performance did you like?

Good reader. NICE AUSTRALIAN ACCENT.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't know, not up to me.

Any additional comments?

Nope.

Important Listen

Brent Runyon, the author of this novel, describes his attempted suicide when he was fourteen
years old. The readers are taken behind Brent’s conscious thoughts as he illustrates how he tried
to kill himself, how he was taken to the children’s burn unit to heal, and then how he reintegrated
into the world around him. The topic this novel cover is a difficult one, and I would personally
recommend teens ages 15 and up to be the more appropriate audience. There is also profanity,
mentions of substance abuse, and sexual situations. I would suggest one to try reading The Burn
Journals for their introduction to suicide in literature because it explores the idea of not knowing
the cause of depression and the repercussions to those around the one who attempted suicide
instead of reading the controversial 13 Reasons Why first. Christopher Evan Welch narrated this
book and captured the stream of conscious thoughts Brent replayed perfectly. I felt highly
uncomfortable while Brent was describing his suicide attempt and needed to stop the audio for a
second. Perhaps therefore the audiobook won such an honorable award. Although the middle of the novel drags a little, and the ending seems slightly abrupt, The Burn Journals is a
powerful novel that deserves to stay in the Young Adult discourse.

Interesting Story

What did you love best about The Burn Journals?

The story was told from the heart. It was difficult to listen to as the story line was intense. It speaks to the saying, "A permanent solution to a temporary problem." It's inspirational that the boy survived and give back to others, so that maybe, in times of darkness, others will seek help.

The Burn Journals

I loved it so much, it was interesting. I wonder tho...how is the author feeling about this book being published?. I hope he's ok.

Meh

I downloaded this book after hearing an excerpt on This American Life. The beginning of this story is riveting, but the rest of the book is not as compelling. The book treats the psychological side of the author's recovery very lightly - concentrating instead on the physical recovery process. Perhaps this book would be better received by adolescent boys.

Eye opening

I read this book for the first time when I was a young teenager in a state facility. I related a lot to this book because I had a lot of suicidal ideations. At the time it was the best book I ever read. Re-reading it as an adult in my early 30’s I do understand when others say it’s not “well-written”, but it is through the eyes of a teenager. It’s not supposed to be “well-written”. This is a great book to help teenagers and young adults see the true finality of suicide and how often people that attempt it are grateful their attempts did not work. Brent Runyon is extremely brave and I appreciate him so much for sharing his inspiring story. A guy-wrenching read.