The Brimstone Journals

Bibliography

Koertge, Ron. 2001. The Brimstone Journals. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 978-0-7636-1302-9

About the Book

Ron Koertge presents diary-style entries of fifteen teens in a suburban high school. The free verse is used to present issues common to many of today's teens.  The characters include a victim of bullying, a bully with a temper, the bully's girlfriend, a victim of sexual abuse, and a troublemaker. The short entries are dramatic and evoke great emotion. The conclusion is intense and thought provoking and could offer some insight for anyone who works with teens. One teen, Tran, a Vietnamese teen who feels pressured by his immigrant father to become successful, voices his feelings, "His dreams are like a box I cannot put down." 

The poems are presented in chapters, with each chapter getting a bit more intense.  In the end, issues are mostly resolved and the reader gets the feeling that everyone will survive their drama.

The subject matter and choice of vocabulary is not appropriate for every reader in the recommended age range of 14-18.  Because of the strong emotions presented about big issues that not every teen is exposed to, some readers might be offended by the book's content. 

One Poem

                              Kelli

I went to the movies by myself,

saw exactly what I wanted to see, 

and stayed all the way through 

for once.

I read everybody's name: grip,

best boy, caterer, DG trainee,

everybody.

When I got home Mom said Damon

called

three times. 

Activities

Students could add a character with a different perspective or issue to each chapter.  This writing activity can tie into a research on current social issues or trends.  Students can explore the difference between narrative and free verse styles in writing. 

A lesson could focus on an author study.  Ron Koertge has written other books, mostly novels, for teens.  Different groups could each read one of his books and share a presentation about how the characters in his novels differ in their presentation and development compared to the book of short poems.