Module 9: Crank, by Ellen Hopkins

Summary: Crank is the story of crank addict Kristina, told in verse, When Kristina visits her deadbeat father one summer, she falls in love with Adam, the boy downstairs, who introduces her to the drug crank. Crank makes Kristina feel confident and excited, like a totally different person,. The romance with Adam doesn't last, but the habit does, as Kristina (and her alter ego, Bree) spirals out of control and into full-blown addiction. In seemingly no time, Kristina is skipping school, lying to her parents, and selling the drug to feed her raging habit. After Kristina is raped by a guy who charges her afterwards for the drugs they smoked together, she finds herself pregnant.

Impressions: This book is a quick read, and I can see why young people enjoy the novel in verse; the poems Hopkins uses to tell Kristina's story are vivid and highly illustrative. To me, the story seemed melodramatic to the point of being didactic: Hopkins is clearly trying to make a point about the dangers of drug use, and her language (outdated teenage slang) seems cliche and overdone.

Reference: Hopkins, E. (2004). Crank. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Review: Nonfiction author Hopkins pens her first novel, written in verse, introducing 15-year-old narrator Kristina, who reveals how she became addicted to crank, and how the stimulant turned her from straight-A student to drug dealer, and eventually a teen mom. On a court-ordered visit to see her slimy and long-absent dad, she meets-and is instantly attracted to -- Adam, who sports a "tawny six pack,/and a smile." Soon, Adam introduces her to "the monster" (there, she also unleashes a new personality, id-driven Bree). Her addiction grows, as does Bree's control. Readers get a vivid sense of the highs and lows involved with using crank ("I needed food, sleep,/but the monster denied/every bit of it"). Her life changes quickly: Soon she's dating two guys, both of whom use crank; says "Fuck you" to her mom, can't keep tip with school, and loses her old friends. There are plenty of dramatic moments: The first time she does crank, for example, her dad joins her. That same night, she stumbles into a bad area and is almost raped, and Adam's girlfriend tries to kill herself. Later in the book, she does get raped and starts selling the drug for the Mexican Mafia. Readers will appreciate the creative use of form here (some poems, for instance, are written in two columns that can be read separately or together), and although the author is definitely on a mission, she creates a world nearly as consuming and disturbing as the titular drug.

CRANK (Book). (2004). Publishers Weekly, 251(44), 63-64.

Suggested Use: I would use this book for a teen book club during National Poetry Week. Poetry often seems dry and inaccessible to young people; one thing this book does well is show how poetry can be engaging and offer a new approach to story telling. I'd like to hear what teens had to say after reading the novel, about poetry and about Kristina's experiences.