Module 14-Burned

Module 14-Poetry and Story Collection

-Poetry

Burned by Elen Hopkins

ISBN:  978-1-4287-5709-7

Audience (according to School Library Journal):  Grades 9 and up

Hopkins, E. (2006). Burned.  New York, NY:  Margaret K.  

     McElderry Books.

Pricing (as of 11/12)

*Amazon:      Hardcover:     $12.23

                        Paperback:    $8.79

                        Kindle:            $10.99

                        Audio CD:     $20.48

                        Audible Audio Edition:  $14.95

Book Summary

            Teenager Pattyn Von Patten lives in a strict Mormon household with her alcoholic and abusive father, her subservient mother and 7 younger sisters.   Watching her father sink further into alcoholism and become more and more abusive towards her mother, Pattyn searches for help and answers.  But the church looks the other way when Mrs. Von Stratten has obvious bruises and with frustration growing, 16 year old Pattyn begins to act out.  After a particularly serious infraction of church standards, Pattyn is exiled to a remote Nevada town with an aunt she doesn’t know.  It is there that the love-starved girl begins to feel the acceptance and security that she has longed for.  Happiness leads to confidence and Pattyn allows herself to fall in love with handsome Ethan.  When her parents call her home, she returns to find that the abuse that was once confined to her mother has now extended to her sisters.  As Pattyn seeks a way out of this hell, she discovers that she is pregnant.  A rescue by Ethan goes terribly wrong and Pattyn plots revenge and escape from all that imprisons her.

APA Reference

Hopkins, E. (2006). Burned.  New York, NY:  Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Impressions

            Author Ellen Hopkins has challenged youth, librarians, and parents with her gritty works:  Crank, Burned, Impulse, and Glass, to name a few.  Using verse of many kinds, she once again forces readers to look at tragic, but realistic, circumstances that many teens face.  In this book, the institutions of family and church are not presented in a positive light, and for that, Hopkins has experienced negative reviews, loss of speaking engagements, and removal of her works from home and school shelves.  But the author never states that all homes, Mormon or otherwise, look like the Von Stratten household.  The fact of the matter is that many teenagers face difficult situations and this book may help them feel like they are not so isolated in their struggles.  For those teens that live in a secure environment, the reading of this book may open their eyes to the realities that others face.  Regardless of a reader’s background, the poetry reads easily and the words will yield strong feelings.  I found myself cheering as Pattyn discovers what “real” family should be like and was hoping for that fairy tale ending.  The lack of a definitive final act by Pattyn left me both satisfied and a bit disturbed, and that made me close the book and immediately recommend it to two teen girls in my circle of influence!

Professional Reviews

            <<Gr 9 Up-- Once again the author of Crank (S & S, 2004) has masterfully used verse to re-create the yearnings and emotions of a teenage girl trapped in tragic circumstances. Poems in varied formats captivate readers as they describe a teen's immobilizing fear of her abusive father, disgust with a church hierarchy that looks the other way, hope that new relationships can counteract despair, joy in the awakening of romance, and sorrow when demons ultimately prevail. Pattyn Von Stratten is the eldest of eight sisters in a stern Mormon household where women are relegated to servitude and silence. She has a glimpse of normal teenage life when Derek takes an interest in her, but her father stalks them in the desert and frightens him away. Unable to stifle her rage, Pattyn acts out as never before and is suspended from school. Sent to live with an aunt on a remote Nevada ranch, she meets Ethan and discovers "forever love." Woven into the story of a teen's struggle to find her destiny is the story of her aunt's barrenness following government mismanagement of atomic testing and protests over nuclear waste disposal. Readers will become immersed in Pattyn's innermost thoughts as long-held secrets are revealed, her father's beatings take a toll on her mother and sister, and Pattyn surrenders to Ethan's love with predictable and disturbing consequences. Writing for mature teens, Hopkins creates compelling characters in horrific situations.

Lehman, K. (2006). Burned. School Library Journal, 52(7), 105-106. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com.

                  <<In cutting free-verse, 16-year-old Pattyn offers first-person narration of religious oppression and physical violence. Her Mormon church dictates that women grow up powerless. An entrancing sexual dream and a non-Mormon boyfriend make Pattyn feel giddy but guilty. Will she burn in hell? Exiled (for punishment) to a desert ranch, Pattyn blossoms under the respectful care of Aunt J and finds storybook love with neighbor Ethan. But at summer's end, she returns home to a situation even worse than before. Alcoholic Dad now beats the children (rather than just Mom); Pattyn, badly whipped, tries to hang on until she can leave home. But a heart-sinking pregnancy (Ethan's condom broke once) prompts an escape attempt that goes horribly wrong. Bereaved and desperate with nowhere to turn, Pattyn plans a brutal revenge. Hopkins's incisive verses sometimes read in several directions as they paint the beautiful Nevada desert and the consequences of both nuclear testing at Yucca Mountain and Pattyn's tragic family history. Sharp and heartbreaking. (Fiction. YA)

Burned. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(7), 348-348. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com.

Library Uses

            Librarians can influence the lives of their patrons in so many ways.  As students come through, a librarian will get a sense of who they are by what they are saying and by what they are reading.  For a student who seems to view the world in idyllic terms and is unable to sympathize with the struggles of others, this would be a book that I would strongly recommend to her.  I would not, however, suggest this book for someone in a very similar position as Pattyn unless I truly knew the young woman as it does end with thoughts of suicide and/or murder.  
           Because the author of Burned has experienced personal persecution for her portrayal of young adults and issues faced by them, a student who is also under attack for personal beliefs or life choices might enjoy reading a book by a famous person in a similar situation.  In a related use, a librarian who is recognizing Banned Book Week would want to include this title in his/her presentation.