Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Burned
Ellen Hopkins
ISBN 1-4169-0354-2
531 pages
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2006

Genre: Issue Novel, Controversial, Verse Novel

Readers Annotation
Raised in a strict, conservative Mormon household with an abusive father, Pattyn begins to question all her previously held beliefs about love and God.

Plot Summary
Pattyn is the oldest of seven daughters in a strict Mormon household. Her abusive father wants a boy and expects little other from his wife than to churn out babies, so most of the childrearing and household duties fall to Pattyn. A librarian at her high school takes a special interest in Pattyn and introduces her to the wider world through literature. After reading some racy classics, Pattyn has a sexual dream involving one of her classmates. She's been taught that all sexual activity before marriage is a sin, but decides she can't be held accountable for her dreams; she tries to discuss this matter with the church, but she's frustrated by the lack of answers, as well as its misogyny. Though the church leadership knows that her alcoholic father beats his wife regularly, they do not intervene. Frustrated, Pattyn starts dating a non-Mormon boy from school. When her father finds out, he forbids her to see him again. Pattyn punches the boy's new girlfriend in the nose and then accidentally throws her backpack through a window in the library. Her father banishes her to live with his estranged sister from the summer.

Pattyn's world changes dramatically at Aunt J's ranch. She learns some disturbing truths about her father from Aunt J, but she also develops a sense of worth and self-confidence she never had before. She also meets a boy, Ethan, with whom she falls deeply in love. But what will happen when she has to go back home at the summer? And what will happen if her father finds out she's dating another non-Mormon?

Critical Evaluation
Like all of Ellen Hopkins' novels, Burned is written in verse form. Each page is like its own little poem. Hopkins plays freely with the form of these poems; some sprawled across the page, some are written in couplets. Because of this, we get a very strong sense of Pattyn's interior life.  The verse almost gives the reader a stream-of-consciousness effect, but with a heightened sense of emotions.  The chapters where Pattyn's father eventually starts beating her are almost too painful to bear.

I found Pattyn's growth throughout the novel quite moving. Her relationship with Ethan is a tender first love, and Hopkins gives it the respect it deserves. For older readers, it will conjure of memories of their first intense summer love, but Pattyn insists theirs is a "forever love" and wise old Aunt J. tends to agree. The relationship between Pattyn and Aunt J. is also well-drawn. We get a sense of Aunt J., what a survivor she is and how much she has already been through... but she teaches Pattyn to soldier on and never stop believing in herself or in love.

The ending of the book, which is quite controversial, came up a little short to me. Though I believe Hopkins intended to show the rage Pattyn felt when everything she cares about is torn away from her--and the incidents that got her sent to live with Aunt J. show us that she is indeed capable of great rage--I also do not think that the Pattyn who loved and was loved by Aunt J. would resort to such violence.

About the Author
Ellen Hopkins is known for her free-verse novels. She touches upon many controversial topics in her work. The Crank series is about a teenage girl who becomes addicted to crystal meth, while Tricks is about teenage prostitution.

Curriculum Ties
The book could be used to discuss issues of religion (especially religious corruption), abuse, and violence.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Talk about Pattyn and her family life: her lazy mother, her abusive father, and her gaggle of younger sisters. Why is going to Aunt J's so liberating for her?
2. Talk about how Pattyn starts questioning the religious beliefs she was raised with -- especially its culture of misogyny and its lack of intellectual curiosity.
3. Talk about Pattyn and Ethan's relationship. Is it true love?

Reading Interest/Level
The themes and format of this book make it appropriate for high school students and above.

Challenge Issues
This book has a number of challenge issues: teenage sexuality, teenage drinking, abuse, and school violence to name a few. To defend it against challenges, the librarian should be able to explain and defend the library's selection policy and explain how Burned fits those criteria. S/he should ideally read the book, but if unable to, should read reviews to familiarize with its content and critical worth. S/he could point out the books many positive reviews and its many awards as proof of its worth.

Selection Criteria
Burned was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It was also a National Book Award nominee.