In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the “monster,” the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or “crank.” Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne’er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: “there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree.” Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won’t, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank

Q&A

Physical or Ebook?
Ebook

Have you ever read a book by this author before?
This is actually a reread for me.

Genre?
Young Adult Fiction

Star Rating?

Rereadable?
Definitely

If it’s a series, would you continue reading it?
I did actually read the second one right after I finished this. I think I’ll be reading the third one soon.

Who would you recommend this for?
Oof, this is hard to decide. Anyone who likes hard hitting, real books. Definitely pick this up

Conclusion:

This book is one of the more difficult reads. It’s so amazing and beautiful and heart wrenching and terrifying. It shows you how quick things can spiral into absolute chaos and it also teaches you to sympathize with people who have dealt with addiction.

Addiction is a hard topic to discuss reasonably. On one side, I can never wrap my head around how someone could let themselves fall apart in such a way. But on the other hand, it’s definitely a disease that needs treatment and professional help. It’s not an easy topic to read about. Especially since Kristina is such a typical teenage girl. A nice house, good role models, good grades.

Hell, I was like her when I was in high school. I went down a pretty scary path, but was thankfully able to pull myself out before it got worse than skipping class, the odd drink here and there and smoking pot. Who knows what else could of happened and what I could of gotten myself into if I was hanging out with the wrong people.

I just know this. If you’re struggling with addiction, maybe you should read this book. And seek help. There’s plenty of assistance out there.

If you’re interested in this book:
Goodreads
Amazon CA
Amazon

Until next time,

Bree