When Brent Runyon was fourteen years old, he struggled with depression. One day. he came home from school, doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match. As a result, he was burned on 85% of his body, and spent the next year recovering in hospitals and rehab facilities. That year of physical recovery led Runyon to question what he'd done and confirmed his love for his family and his unflinching desire to have his life back again.
"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
Brent Runyon is a graduate of Ithaca College. He is a regular contributor to public radio programs, including This American Life, where portions of his story first appeared. He lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and is at work on his first novel.
