Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Books based on true stories give me chills. Especially if I can connect to that story as well. Crank by Ellen Hopkins is one of them.

"Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she's fearless. Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul -- her life."


Kristina, the main character, makes one bad decision during her summer that changed the rest of her life. Her alternate ego, Bree as she calls it, causes her to spiral down the wrong path and trying just about every drug out there; ecstasy, LSD, pot and crank(etc.), hence the title. The thing that I find most interesting about the book is the two different personalities that the one character has. Bree is the bad girl that likes to stir up trouble, while Kristina is the loving and caring girl that her parents are so very proud of. It made me think; do I have two different personalities? I actually think I do, sometimes I act differently around certain people, but I know for sure hope I won't end up like Kristina!


I really enjoy Hopkin's poetic style of writing, and this was no exception. I always seem to connect with her books in a way (which is funny, because most of her stories are about messed up teens). Nevertheless, Crank didn't really hit home with me. It felt like I was reading a book. That doesn't sound right, but it's hard to explain. It's different. I didn't feel like I was reading a story, but as if I was just reading the words off of the page, and I didn't soak up any of it. But I'm too optimistic on books, and this book was a good read. 


And I still don't know why, but I just wanted SO much to hate this book... And in some ways I did - Not because it was slow, boring, or uncreative, but because it grossed me out seeing how anyone, even I, could meander down the wrong path so easily. Crank really made me look into the mirror and rethink my standards/morals. This is definitely something EVERY TEEN should read, for it teaches an important lesson. 


 And I'm still unclear on my overall thoughts on this book. But a 7/10 would be my rating.