Crank

Awesome book but if I had a kid I would not let them read it till like Junior year of high school.

ugh...i mean really, ugh. i can see the appeal but, no.

Kristina, a character based on the author's own daughter, goes from a model student to a drug addict after discovering crystal meth – also known as “crank”. Told in a series of poems, we follow Kristina as she discovers her alter-ego Bree and becomes an entirely different person so addicted to the crank that she will do anything to get it.


This can be a very upsetting book, but it is a powerful read for teens. Even though it is written by an adult, the author does a good job at portraying the teenage voice that others will be able to relate to. We can sympathize with Kristina as we follow her journey, and throughout the book we only want her to get better, even though it doesn't seem like it will. This book shows the extreme dark side of hard drugs and would make a teen think twice, especially girls, to see if that's really how they want their life to turn out.

I feel like I'm supposed to love this one. But really, it gets a 2.5 from me.


I know much of this is based on the author's own experiences, so it feels bad to critique it, but I felt like we were lacking some exposition. It felt unrealistic. It felt like there was more that should explain what was driving this character's choices beyond it simply being addiction.

I do appreciate the use of poetry here.
I also always pause when it seems like a baby “fixes a person” as some sort of plot in YA novels- I've seen it numerous times in various iterations. (Though I appreciate the author's forward that explains this part a little more.)

Love the way this author writes. Such raw emotion with little said. The depth in the verses and meaning within the prose...whew.

Like a badly written poetry version of Go Ask Alice - same “scared straight” style narrative, same rapid escalation, same implausibility. Still looking for a good book that captures addiction. This wasn't it.

Loved it. I've definitely reread this verse novel several times. It's the kind of book that can keep you seated all day till you reach the last page, and once you reach that last page ... you just want to keep reading.

It goes incredibly in-depth about an average teenage girl named Kristina. But when she visits her dad for the summer, she meets a boy named Adam, who greets her to the monster.

The book is incredibly powerful as you watch the protagonist fall to her knees for the monster, no will power. Being inside the mind of Kristina for the entire book, you watch as her choices become less and less responsible. Readers literally watch how the monster not only effects its abuser, but their friends and family too.

I highly recommend, especially if you're looking for a quick, raw read.

Crank is a great novel and I believe the first one I ever experienced reading in poem verses as well. When I found out it's a fictional story loosely based around Hopkins own daughter, it made the story all the more important. Addiction is tough and can happen to anyone, including your own self or someone amongst your family/friends. It brought out a feeling in me that made me hope for good outcomes as I felt very invested in our main character which any book that can do that for me is great. Also it's a book to remind myself that reading can be such an immersive experience.

This book was great. Although the content is on a tough subject matter the way in which it is written makes this book interesting. I enjoyed the point of view of the book as well as the words are display on the pages.

WOAH. This is a crazy, intense book. At first, I had very little sympathy for the main character because she brought her whole crazy situation on herself. I did grow to feel for her because her life was a huge mess (even though she mostly caused it). Parts were hard to get through because it was so intense but it's definitely a powerful and informative read.

Very good, much better than I expected. I'm plugging away on my quest to read all of Hopkins's work. So far, two down.

Update 2024:

I still do not know how I'm supposed to feel about Crank.

But... In my opinion I feel as though It's a powerful book for older middle schoolers/high schoolers to read. This book is one of few books that have touched upon heavy topics relating to teens in a way that they could relate too.

As for me, i think my biggest issue I have with these books is the fact I hate the formatting of them. It annoys me and waste paper.

Was I captivated by this book? No, and the reason for that is my personal experience (witnessing and living with) with someone on “crank”.


Older review:

When I was a teenager this book was popular because it just came out. I have attempted to read it many times and each time it has failed to captivate me. I always felt like I had read a different book than the ones that loved it.

sigh
I don't know.