Identity in Crank

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When I first picked this book up, I instantly sighed and rolled my eyes. It was so hugeeeee and I thought I would never get through it in time. As soon as I opened the first page, I didn’t set it down until two hundred pages later. I absolutely loved this book. I believe I was first drawn in by its structure. I have never read a book like this and the constantly changing structure kept me entertained. The story overall was also unlike anything I have ever read. Hopkins’ ability to recreate her daughter’s experience into a book of poems that also told a story was just remarkable.
I think the theme of identity is important to focus on in Crank. We first experience identity when Kristina refers to herself as “Bree.” This identity change allows Kristina to morph into her lifestyle of her father’s house. As a child of divorce, I can vouch for Kristina and her choice to change. I would have two totally different personalities depending on if I was with my mom or my dad. The kind of freedom that single-parent households give allows teenagers to choose who they are. She uses “Bree” as a way to be different, to be blameless and just to reinvent herself (not in the best way). I think it is important to focus on this change because, looking deeper, we see that Bree is an entirely different person from Kristina. Kristina flips between these two personalities and eventually leads to her demise. We see that “Bree is no imaginary playmate, / no overactive pituitary, / no alter ego, moving in, / Hers is the face I wear, / treading the riptide, / fathomless oceans where / good girls drown” (8). This break of identity impacts the reader because it is a literal change we see with the main character
I believe that the structure of the text has a lot to do with its impact as well. The way each poem is structured to fit the feel of the situation leaves something with the audience for each read. I specifically like when it was three different poems on one page. Like when we read one side and it was a poem, the other side was a poem and the entire thing together was a poem. You get so much in a one-page read. Hopkins does an amazing job with reeling in the reader with these tactics.

Regarding the story, I think it was a riveting story with severe cases of insecurity, drug abuse, parental neglect, and divorce. These are all very real issues and stories like this do happen in real life. I think books like Crank are so relevant to our society because it brings all of these dark issues to the light. Especially with the drug epidemic we are facing in 2017. Crank makes the unbelievable a reality. I would love to teach portions of this book in the classroom to show the effects of drug abuse and parental neglect.

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