The Burn Journals: To Read or Not to Read?

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon is a memoir that follows the author’s own recovery after attempting to commit suicide by lighting himself on fire. After stepping into a bathtub while garbed in a gasoline soaked bathrobe and lighting himself on fire, Brent undergoes four months of intense care at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Then he spends three months in a rehabilitation center called Alfred I. duPont Institute. He spends time with many different therapists, none that he likes very much. Over these months Brent meets a lot of people who become his friends and help him while recovering. Throughout his time recovering, he comes to an understanding of himself: why he did what he did, his depression, and his feelings of disappointing his parents. He also learns that he has to accept himself and appreciate life. Learning these things helped him to get over the major depression that had been plaguing him for most of his life. The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon is a must-read because it is relatable; because people of all ages would benefit from reading it; because Runyon writes with unadorned descriptions and does not include a lot of literary elements like simile, metaphor, extended metaphor, etc. that would cloud the view of the reader; and because it could help teenagers who are struggling with depression to better understand themselves and it could teach them valuable lessons that could help them get through their depression.

Runyon’s memoir is very relatable for teenagers who are struggling with depression or have had thoughts of suicide. Brent’s depression caused feelings of loneliness, disappointment, sadness, and despair. As many as one in every 33 children may have depression; in teens, that number may be as high as one in eight (Kids Health). So, one in eight teenagers can understand all of the feelings that Brent had and everything he was experiencing that led him to attempt suicide. Brent said that he was so used to “[taking] all [his] feelings and [pushing] them down inside [him]. It was like they were garbage and [he] was compacting it to get more in. [He] felt like [he] could keep pushing all [his] feelings down into [his] socks and [he] wouldn't have to worry about them” (Runyon). So many teens can relate to this. I know—from my own experiences—what it feels like to think these things, and I know that there are people around me who feel the same kind of thing. Reading The Burn Journals could make them feel a little better about what they are going through. Reading this book might make teens struggling from the same kind of ailments that Brent Runyon used to struggle with realize that they are not alone in their struggles. It could give them a sense of security and comfort them.

Brent Runyon’s memoir is a must-read because people of all ages would benefit from reading it. Many people in America suffer from depression. Each year, depression affects 17 million people of all age groups, races, and economic backgrounds in the United States (Kids Health). Since depression is clearly such a big part of the country we live in, it is important for us as Americans to understand the disorder and the effects it has on the people that it plagues. Reading The Burn Journals could help people from any age group to understand the effects of depression on teens because it describes in completely true detail the feelings of a depressed boy who attempts suicide and his route to recovery; where he begins to understand his own depression and why he attempted suicide. Throughout Brent’s recovery, he discovers that his depression comes from feelings of disappointing his parents, not being good enough for them, and not being content with his own life. The book could help its reader to understand where depression could stem from and the effects that it has on the teenage age group. It could also help a mother or father to understand his or her child, a child to understand him or herself, or a friend to understand a friend. This is very important because so much of America’s population suffers from depression. It is important to understand the things around you in order to live a more knowledgeable and safe life.

Brent Runyon writes his memoir with unadorned descriptions and does not include a lot of literary elements like simile, metaphor, extended metaphor, etc.—this is a good thing. The content in the book is so real, and it is so raw. Runyon’s choice not to include many literary elements or adorn his descriptions with buckets of imagery shows that the content and the story carries enough weight to impact and affect the reader on its own. At one point during his recovery, Brent remembers when his family used to go on vacation in Lake Michigan. He and his family stayed up all night one night and watched the thunder and lightning flash across the lake. He remembers that he “wanted to go outside and stand in the rain and have the light and noise all around [him], but [his] parents wouldn’t let [him]” (Runyon 112). The next day, everything was calm again, and Brent recalls what he did:
The next morning, I woke up early and walked on the beach, listening to my Walkman. Everything was so still, like nothing had ever happened, and I remember how I had the music turned up really loud to help get out my bad feelings, and I started dancing around with my eyes closed like a crazy person. Just spinning around in circles and falling down, over and over again. I got so exhausted finally that I fell down and just lay there and stare at the sky, which was white and blank. And the all these bad thoughts came into my head and I started thinking about dying. I got up and started running as fast as I could, faster than I’ve ever run, all the way down the beach, and I just felt so good and free, and I thought, I’ve got to remember this. I’ve got to remember how this feels. If I ever get so sad again that I want to try to kill myself, then I’ve got to remember how this feels and that will get me through those feelings. Somehow, I could never remember how good that felt though. I remember thinking that it felt good and trying to remember, but I never could. (Runyon 112)
This quote really shows the effects of his depression. It shows the quick transition from a bad mood, to a happy mood, back to a sad mood, then to a happy mood, and then back to a sad one. They were drastic transitions too. Brent oscillates between walking and thinking, to dancing, to lying on the ground and thinking, to running free, then to thinking again. Notice that the descriptions are unadorned. He does not describe what it feels like when the bad thoughts rush back into his head, and he does not describe the thought process that linked the bad thoughts and the running down the beach. The things that he does describe—like the way he was dancing and the way the sky looked—were very brief and simple descriptions. This shows that the content of this section is enough to make an impact on the reader. The content itself is enough to make the reader think, oh, my goodness, this child sounds psychotic and desperate. It’s enough to make the reader pity the character. The content on its own is enough to make an impression; Runyon doesn’t need complex literary elements to do it. He uses this technique throughout the whole entire book. This makes the content stand out. The topics of the book—depression, suicide attempt, and recovery—are so raw and real, so the literary style in which the book is written should be raw and real too.

This book is a must-read because it could help teenagers who are struggling with depression to better understand themselves and it could teach them valuable lessons that could help them get through their depression. Right after Brent steps into his gasoline-soaked bathrobe and attempts suicide, he knew he was making a mistake. Throughout his recovery, he sees that it really was a mistake, begins to understand himself and the root of his problems, and learns valuable lessons that helped him to push past his depression. Brent learns to accept himself and appreciate the life that he has. Because Brent’s story and experiences are real, reading his memoir could inspire people around the age he was at the time to walk the same road to recovery that he did. This book could essentially help its readers to overcome their depression by inspiring them with its story.

The answer to the guiding question: “To Read or Not to Read?” is definitely read. The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon is a must-read because it is relatable; because people of all ages would benefit from reading it; because Runyon writes with unadorned descriptions and does not include a lot of literary elements like simile, metaphor, extended metaphor, etc. that would cloud the view of the reader; and because it could help teenagers who are struggling with depression to better understand themselves and it could teach them valuable lessons that could help them get through their depression. This book could reassure depressed teens and make them feel less alone, it could create a more knowledgeable and safe life for a person living in a country where depression is very common, it is written in a way that is just as real and raw as depression itself, and it could help its readers overcome their own depression. For these reasons, it would be beneficial for a person of any age to read Brent Runyon’s memoir, The Burn Journals.