Trials and tribulations of teens exposed

By Madison Woods (Arlington High School)

Burn Baby, Burn Baby by Kevin Craig is about 17-year-old Francis, who has no confidence after his father set him on fire at nine-years-old. His only friend is his best friend Trig who protects him from the bullying of classmate Brandon Hayley.

Because of Francis and his deformities, he is very insecure about his looks and believes he is the “God of Ugliness.” I believe this shows that insecurities come from everywhere. People these days are insecure about their eyebrows not being ‘on fleek’ or their dimples not being cute. Then we have the people like Francis who has past issues that cause him to be insecure.

A topic that Burn Baby, Burn Baby also brought out was the fact not all people see the bad as…bad.

What I mean by this is that a lot of people who are insecure or do not conform to the norms and values we believe in, believe that they are ugly and are worthless.  The new girl at school, Rachel Higgins is one of those people who sees how a person is inside. People like Brandon Hayley just see an ugly mess whereas people like Rachel see that Francis is actually a very caring guy who is actually pretty cute.

The book could certainly be made into a movie. It had a great plot and the characters could be easily played by actors. The movie would of course be aimed to teenagers and it would bring forth tears and laughter.

Burn Baby, Burn Baby was a nice short read and really kept me on my toes. The whole time I sympathized with Trig in wanting Francis to become a man. Yes, a man.    I really loved the characters and felt relatable to them. I sometimes still believe that I am best friends with Rachel and I would be with them, in the cultured house Francis calls home, sitting around the basement as if nothing was wrong with the world.