Crank by Ellen Hopkins

I enjoy book length poetry. In Crank by Ellen Hopkins, she tells the story of a girl addicted to meth. To say this book is depressing is an understatement. However, the format of the poetry was brilliant and the story is an important one for more mature teens. Published in 2004, this story is fiction but based on her daughter's addiction.

This book contains language, sex, rape, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy. That being said, Hopkins  brilliantly captures Kristina's descent into life with the monster called meth. If you have a loved one who has been captured by this monster, you will be able to relate to Kristina's journey. This story doesn't have a happy ending. In fact, it is one of a three book series. From experience, I know that there are few happy endings after someone gets addicted to meth. It is an insidious beast that twists the lives of those who take it inside out.

I enjoyed the format of the poems. Some are shaped like what Kristina is talking about and some have messages off to the side that fit into the larger poem. If you are a writer, I think you will enjoy the artistry of this novel.

I'll have to read the next two of the series to see what becomes of Kristina. I wish her the best, but from experience, I know that for many meth addicts, there is only despair awaiting them at the end of their journey.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.