English 485: Expedition Adolescence

Crank is a powerful novel about choice, particularly in a pivotal time in an adolescent's life. It is also a novel about the consequences of the choices we make. In such in tumultuous time in our country and our world's history, these themes are more important to consider than ever. The idea of our choices being permanent parts in our life is prevalent in the story, illustrated by the main character's drug addiction. Much like she will never be completely rid of her addiction, we can never go back and change the choices we make in our own lives. We can only move forward and accept the damage our choices cause to us and the people we care about. While the story told in the book may be one of a fall into despair, there is always an undercurrent of hope if you are willing to fight for it. That ideal is something for all of us to hold onto as we march into the future.

All in all Crank by Ellen Hopkins was a pretty good book. Heavy and harsh for adolescents but I think that just adds onto the realness of the book. Maybe upper high school kids or maybe just seniors would be reading this book but any grades lower than that I wouldn't recommend it. If someone were to teach this book for lower grades I would probably suggest they take certain sections from the book and just study those because even for me at times the material got very heavy. But by this book being very realistic and harsh it puts the readers into perspective on just how terrible addictions can be to people, especially young adults. The structure and poem theme of the book added onto my interest because of how different many of them were. And not only that but how descriptive and poetic each of them were.  "  I mean, I'd thought about the monster, dreamed about the monster, lusted for the monster, regretted knowing the monster, but I hadn't touched the monster in over a...

“Crank” by Ellen Hopkins is a very different book considering it to be a YA read. We would not relate most YA reads to being a book about a teenager addicted to meth because that is something that we rarely do not hear about a lot involving adolescents. Though the main character Kristina is battling her addiction to the monster it also illustrates what effects any addiction to drugs can have on a person especially a teenager. I think that she suffers severely from her father’s presents and the meth is the way she copes with him not being there for her and also her mother. This novel is very creative in many ways. Hopkins wrote the novel in verse which make it very easy for an adolescent to read. Once they take a look at the actual book before cracking it open it may turn them away because of the number of pages but once they start to read the poetry it goes pretty quickly. The only downfall is that sometimes it may be harder for the reader to keep up with how the poem reads, that...

“Crank is more than a drug. It’s a way of life. You can turn your back. But you can never really walk away. The monster will forever speak to me. And today, it’s calling me out the door” (537). This quote to me sums up her irrational decisions all throughout the novel. Once Kristina aka Bree got a hold to that monster, she was always reluctant to fall for it, to listen to that voice in her head telling her that she need it and couldn’t function well without it. I wish that Bree would’ve gotten her life together, at least to save her relationship with her family, with Chase, and most importantly, with her baby. I initially thought, that after finding out that she was pregnant that that would be the end of her addiction, but unfortunately, she once again let me down. All in all, Crank was an enjoyable read. It can be very beneficial to many people who decide to read her books; not only adolescents. However, as an upcoming teacher, I am definitely considering using this book in my ...

Overall I feel as though Crank was a decent book. At times it was hard to figure out where I was supposed to begin sentences and what order Hopkins intended for me to read. It was a quick read and very descriptive. I think that this book would be appropriate for 11 th or 12 th graders because of some of the sensitive topics that it brings about. I think Ellen Hopkins wrote this story to reach out to adolescents who may have thought about trying a new drug like crank because they are curious to know what it’s like. I think Ellen Hopkins wanted adolescents to see how dangerous crank is, and also how it changes a person life so quickly. I like that Hopkins chose to write the story in a poetic way because it paints a better picture of many of the situations she talks about. For example, when describing ecstasy she states, “It’s like falling softly into a pool of crystal mountain water…” (421). The main character, Kristina, falls into the trap of addiction and we read her journey alon...

I only found this book vaguely interesting, to be honest. I liked the main character Kristina's descriptions of things. I enjoyed reading a book in verse. I've also read Out of the Dust which is in verse and is an adolescent lit novel about a girl during the Dust Bowl. I like how Kristina has this other side of her that she names "Bree." It made sense to me that she wants to explore this other side of her, wants her to come out. I could also understand how she ended up doing drugs, since she's exposed to that part of her father's life. I have a friend who was exposed to drugs through her father and her brother so I know that it's really hard to escape that life when it's part of your home life. When you're a teenager, your brain is still developing, so if you don't have someone who is a good guide then it's pretty easy to get into trouble. Teenagers can make impulsive decisions and drugs lower your inhibitions. I was disappointed to som...

Family dynamics play a huge part in the likelihood of substance abuse in adolescents. In Crank , Kristina falls into a paralyzing methamphetamine addiction before her seventeenth birthday, a product of risk factors inherited from her family. Her mother contributes to her rapid decline by lack of concern with her daughter, and her father expedites Kristina’s decline with his own addictions and lack of discretion with his daughter. It is made clear in Ellen Hopkins's note at the end of the novel that her decision to send her daughter to visit her estranged father was by no means an easy one. Hopkins repeats the phrase “it started with a court-ordered visit” twice in the novel – once at the beginning, and again in the author’s note, blatantly expressing that she did not have the final say in whether Kristina visited her father, and that she regrets letting her go (10, 546). Hopkins was pressured by her young daughter, anxious to see her “daddy” after eight years without him. “The j...