Bibliographic Data: Koertge, Ron. 2001. The Brimstone Journals. Somerville: Candlestick Press. ISBN 978-0-7636-1742-4
Plot Summary or Poem Theme:
The Brimstone Journals is a book short poems, written like journal entries, by popular YA author, Ron Koertge. Utilizing the typical cast of characters found in high school stories (the joke, the stoner, the hippy…), Koertge is able to tell the story of fifteen different teens. The stories all overlap and provide a sometimes comedic, but more often sad side to the different poems. The typical themes of fitting in, anger, body image issues, parental troubles and crisis management comprise this chilling and hard-hitting story.
Critical Analysis:
Koertge uses innumerable poetic elements to set his fifteen different characters apart, and to give each of them a voice uniquely their own. The typical jock character, Damon is the only character to utilize profanity, which I think lends to the idea that profane words are, as a rule, employed by characters that are not very bright. Damon’s character also is rather self-aggrandizing, and this helps his character read cocky and arrogant, which of course means that he is compensating for any number of unconscious inferiority complexes. The amazing thing about this is that Damon has no more than five entries in the book and I am able to conjure his entire character based on the (maybe) two hundred words Koertge has written for him (and he’s not even the most interesting or titular character!). The character of Kitty is written in a quiet, subdued tone lending to the characters strong desire to emaciate into nothingness. The entries by Allison are impactful and although her story-arch covers only four poems, the audience is pulling for the abuse she is receiving from her step father to end, and can rejoice when she shares the issue with the counselor, who, we assume, will report it. The emotional impact of the poems, the characters, their individual stories, the trials, the abuse, and the final resolutions hit hard and hit heavy. The book is a quick thirty-minute read that is instantly identifiable. Any young adult could relate to one of the fifteen characters, and or knows someone that the characters resemble. Even though many of the characters are doing things that are illegal, Koertge does not come off overly didactic.
The way the different characters are represented with their own font or signature adds even more to their depth. Kitty, the student with body-image issues is represented in a lithe, airy font, which is very representational of her character. Jennifer, the devout Christian, has her name written in a standard script. Allison, the character being sexually abused by her stepfather has seriousness to the way her name is written that makes it seem like her character is already an adult because after all she has gone through. Kelli’s font contrasts the way Allison’s name is written, as there is a bubbly circle over the “I”.
The poems utilize a generous amount of white or blank page space, and the layout is appropriate to the story. The cover image is rather haunting as everyone’s face is scribbled out except one young mans’, saturated in red, that we must just assume is Boyd or Michael, while the hidden faces represent the characters they plan to murder.
Connection:
One of the many great things about this novel is Koertge’s ability to completely introduce a character through so little interaction with them. I would use this as an exercise in a writer’s workshop or English/literature class in order to show how important character development is, and what is lends to the richness of a novel. I would either have the students/patrons choose a character from this book and write a story about their future, or have them choose a character from a different piece of literature and write about their lives. It is also a valuable example of speaking up when necessary about things that are important and potentially life threatening. Violence should always be reported, included bullying, which should be touched on regularly.
Spotlight Poem: "TRAN"
Plot Summary or Poem Theme:
The Brimstone Journals is a book short poems, written like journal entries, by popular YA author, Ron Koertge. Utilizing the typical cast of characters found in high school stories (the joke, the stoner, the hippy…), Koertge is able to tell the story of fifteen different teens. The stories all overlap and provide a sometimes comedic, but more often sad side to the different poems. The typical themes of fitting in, anger, body image issues, parental troubles and crisis management comprise this chilling and hard-hitting story.
Critical Analysis:
Koertge uses innumerable poetic elements to set his fifteen different characters apart, and to give each of them a voice uniquely their own. The typical jock character, Damon is the only character to utilize profanity, which I think lends to the idea that profane words are, as a rule, employed by characters that are not very bright. Damon’s character also is rather self-aggrandizing, and this helps his character read cocky and arrogant, which of course means that he is compensating for any number of unconscious inferiority complexes. The amazing thing about this is that Damon has no more than five entries in the book and I am able to conjure his entire character based on the (maybe) two hundred words Koertge has written for him (and he’s not even the most interesting or titular character!). The character of Kitty is written in a quiet, subdued tone lending to the characters strong desire to emaciate into nothingness. The entries by Allison are impactful and although her story-arch covers only four poems, the audience is pulling for the abuse she is receiving from her step father to end, and can rejoice when she shares the issue with the counselor, who, we assume, will report it. The emotional impact of the poems, the characters, their individual stories, the trials, the abuse, and the final resolutions hit hard and hit heavy. The book is a quick thirty-minute read that is instantly identifiable. Any young adult could relate to one of the fifteen characters, and or knows someone that the characters resemble. Even though many of the characters are doing things that are illegal, Koertge does not come off overly didactic.
The way the different characters are represented with their own font or signature adds even more to their depth. Kitty, the student with body-image issues is represented in a lithe, airy font, which is very representational of her character. Jennifer, the devout Christian, has her name written in a standard script. Allison, the character being sexually abused by her stepfather has seriousness to the way her name is written that makes it seem like her character is already an adult because after all she has gone through. Kelli’s font contrasts the way Allison’s name is written, as there is a bubbly circle over the “I”.
The poems utilize a generous amount of white or blank page space, and the layout is appropriate to the story. The cover image is rather haunting as everyone’s face is scribbled out except one young mans’, saturated in red, that we must just assume is Boyd or Michael, while the hidden faces represent the characters they plan to murder.
Connection:
One of the many great things about this novel is Koertge’s ability to completely introduce a character through so little interaction with them. I would use this as an exercise in a writer’s workshop or English/literature class in order to show how important character development is, and what is lends to the richness of a novel. I would either have the students/patrons choose a character from this book and write a story about their future, or have them choose a character from a different piece of literature and write about their lives. It is also a valuable example of speaking up when necessary about things that are important and potentially life threatening. Violence should always be reported, included bullying, which should be touched on regularly.
Spotlight Poem: "TRAN"
Spotlight Lines:
“She’s a slut but her complexion is perfect. You’d think a bad person wouldn’t have such good skin”. Jennifer, the religious character, speaks this line and it almost sounds like a biblical reference to the ‘mark of the beast’.
Aside:
The entire time I was reading this book I could not help but think that it read like a Sonya Sones novel with more mature content.
“She’s a slut but her complexion is perfect. You’d think a bad person wouldn’t have such good skin”. Jennifer, the religious character, speaks this line and it almost sounds like a biblical reference to the ‘mark of the beast’.
Aside:
The entire time I was reading this book I could not help but think that it read like a Sonya Sones novel with more mature content.