Brimstone Journals [Turtleback]

Ronald Koertge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2004

In the school they call Brimstone, Judgement Day is fast approaching...Meet the Branston High School Class of 2001 - an average class in a suburban school. On the surface they seem recognisable enough: the Smart one, the Fat Kid, Social Conscience, Good Girl, Bad Girl, Jock, Anorexic, Dyke, Rich Boy, Sister, Stud...But, as their journal entries reveal, things are not exactly what they seem. One of them in particular, Boyd, an angry young man with a dangerous obsession with guns, hides a dark secret - a bitter, violent plot whose goal is terror and extermination. Unless someone can stop him. Through the very different voices of the students themselves, Ron Koertge creates a story that fizzes with violent emotion, sexual tension and a pathological pursuit of excess that threatens at any moment to erupt into tragedy.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Branston (a.k.a. Brimstone) High School Class of 2001 has got it all: Damon is the jock, Meredith the slut, Jennifer the good girl, David the computer game addict, Kitty the anorexic, Neesha the sistah, Rob the stud, Sheila the lesbian. And Boyd the angry and scared neo-Nazi with an arsenal in his basement and a list of "everybody who ever blew me off, flipped me off, or pissed me off."

Through a series of poetic journal entries from 15 students, author Ron Koertge chronicles the sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and ultimately chilling lives of fictional high school students in contemporary America. With just a few words from each character in each entry, readers glean more than a glimpse into their complex and often troubled worlds. Koertge's characterizations are compelling, if clichéd, although omitting two or three of the student roles might have made keeping up with who's who a little easier. Social messages covering racism, classism, homophobia, and an entire high school melting pot of "isms," come across a little heavy-handedly, but work well as an intentionally pointed illustration of the perils young people face today. Subject matter and language make this appropriate for older readers. Koertge is the author of several acclaimed novels, including Confess-O-Rama. (Older teens) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Through poems, Koertge (Where the Kissing Never Stops) creates 15 separate narrators, all seniors at Branston (nicknamed "Brimstone") High School, struggling with major problems. Boyd, a white supremacist neglected by his alcoholic father, is staging a school shooting spree. Even the school nurse and at least one teacher are racist: "Our homeroom teacher,/ Ms. Malone... / says black/ people have their own Heaven, but it's/ far enough away from ours so we won't/ have to listen to their music." As Boyd prepares a target list (of "everybody who/ ever blew me off, flipped me off,/ or pissed me off"), the other characters reach their own breaking points; some even consider buying guns from him to solve their troubles. While Koertge's pacing allows readers to sense the building tension, the brevity of the poems provides readers with little insight into the characters, so that they teeter on the edge of melodrama: Kitty is anorexic ("I think if I'm thin enough, I can fly"), Sheila wonders if she's a lesbian because she loves her best friend ("I want to go farther with Monica/ than just good-bye hugs"). Despite some memorable lines ("His dreams are like a box I cannot put down," says Tran, a Vietnamese teen who feels pressured by his immigrant father to become successful), the novel does not have enough heft to compensate for a cast that does not seem fully alive. Ages 14-up. (Feb.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (April 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606301763
• ISBN-13: 978-0606301763
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, June 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Brimstone Journals (Hardcover)

I loved this book. I connected with all the different characters, they were just like kids at my own high school. This is a must read for any teen, and even any parent of a teen. It seemed so true. Almost as if the author wrote it from being a student at my school.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting as it is illuminating., July 29, 2004

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brimstone Journals (Hardcover)

Welcome to Branston High, nicknamed Brimstone by it students. As in "fire and brimstone." As in Hell. And if they don't act fast, a demon will break loose.

Through a series of short, journal-like poems, acclaimed author Koertge catapults us into the lives of some Branston students. The cast of characters is all too familiar and almost too dysfunctional --- each with their own burdens to bear. There's the fat kid, the smart kid, the rich kid, the anorexic, the jock, and so on. Rounding out the mix is Boyd. Left to his own devices by his alcoholic father, Boyd has became a white supremacist with a major chip on his shoulder.

Tension within the school is mounting. Mercilessly, Boyd compiles a list of people he hates, his "hit list," student by student. And around him, everybody else's problems are ripping them apart. You'll have to read this inventive and engrossing poem-novel to find out what ultimately happens. THE BRIMSTONE JOURNALS explores the timely and all too real topic of teen violence in a story that is as haunting as it is illuminating.

--- Reviewed by Tammy L. Currier

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brimstone Journal-Will they survive?, March 3, 2003

By 

Jennifer LeMieux - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brimstone Journals (Hardcover)

Robert Koertge's book Brimstone Journal is remarkable. His choice of format (journals) was very effective. It allowed you as the reader to understand each character emotionally and personally, as well as draws you into the fictious world of Branston High School. Brimstone Journal is written as a collection of journal entries from what seems like 15 typical high school students: the cheerleader, the jock, the promiscuous girl, the rich boy, the fat kid, the smart one, the lesbian, the anorexic.... and the ANGRY Boyd who has created a list to get rid of anybody who ever blew him off or made him mad. However, as you engage yourself in each entry, you discover the hidden demons that are eating these students alive bit by bit. Boyd who has just met a new and dangerous friend Mike has developed a list of enemies and with Mike's help has devised a plan to take them all out. Many characters begin thinking of joining Boyd and his plan, and others find themselves wanting to buy weapons from him to put an end to their problems. Entry by entry you become closer and closer to the Big Day when Boyd will put his plan into action. Will someone tell? Will Boyd succeed? Will they survive? You will never know unless you read Brimstone Journal. The characters in this book would appeal to high school students. Due to some of the content and language, I feel this book would be appropriate for grades 9 and up. Through the eyes of 15 teenagers, this frightening situation becomes reality. 5 stars all the way!