Written by a mother, Crank is the story of Ellen Hopkin's daughter's downward spiral into drug addiction and destructive behaviors. Kristina is the protagonist, but her alter ego “Bree” shows us the ugly side of the innocent, successful, and attractive honors student that Kristina appears to be. The story's title, Crank, is a reference to the highly addictive drug crystal meth, referred to throughout the book as “the monster”, which leads Bree down a path of dangerous and deadly behaviors. The book is very disturbing in its gritty and emotional depiction of the impact drugs can have on an individual and on a family.
A cool quality of the novel is that it is written in verse form. The narration of Bree's downward spiral appears as a series of poems, with Hopkins emphasizing certain moments or words through creative word placement. There seems to be almost as much thought put into the content of the novel as there is into the appearance of it.
I would recommend this book only with a strong warning attached. Hopkins really didn't hold much back in this novel, and there are a lot of situations and incidents that deal with very, very heavy material, from drugs to sexual experiences. Parents, read this before you let your kids do. Teachers, probably not one to be handing out left and right, but a reasonable choice for a classroom library.
2 comments:
another book in verse!
I am making a list now, there seem to be so many of these, now.
Thinking about a project using YA novels in verse, for English Methods, this spring.
I love all of her books!
I've read at least all of the ones I own about four times a piece. Burned I've read a little more than that.
I love her writing technique!
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