Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I skipped out on Crank when I was an adolescent, and only revisited it after my sister, a high school teacher, brought it home. Like most books about the pangs of youth with the heightened element of drugs, the character in this book and her life seems painful, frantic and empty.
For readers this 500+ page book goes by in a a flash, with the verses of each new day blending more and more into something like a stream of consciousness. While the story does not offer any particularly new insights to that which we might find in Go Ask Alice it is fairly consuming, and you certainly feel invested in the life and downward spiral of the protagonist, perhaps because you are the only person within the context of the book who understands just how bad her addiction (due in part to low-self esteem and middle-child syndrome)really is.
As for Hopkins, her writing lands on par with other basically good young adult novelists. It is by no means exceptional, but it certainly manages to grasp a lot of the "trippy", ethereal and mostly awful aspects of drug addiction without stepping into heavy-handed cliches. All in all, it is clear that Hopkins did her research on Crystal Meth, and allowed herself some poetic license in developing her characters.
Overall, I would say that if you are at all intrigued by Crank, it is most likely worth the read.
For readers this 500+ page book goes by in a a flash, with the verses of each new day blending more and more into something like a stream of consciousness. While the story does not offer any particularly new insights to that which we might find in Go Ask Alice it is fairly consuming, and you certainly feel invested in the life and downward spiral of the protagonist, perhaps because you are the only person within the context of the book who understands just how bad her addiction (due in part to low-self esteem and middle-child syndrome)really is.
As for Hopkins, her writing lands on par with other basically good young adult novelists. It is by no means exceptional, but it certainly manages to grasp a lot of the "trippy", ethereal and mostly awful aspects of drug addiction without stepping into heavy-handed cliches. All in all, it is clear that Hopkins did her research on Crystal Meth, and allowed herself some poetic license in developing her characters.
Overall, I would say that if you are at all intrigued by Crank, it is most likely worth the read.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cocaine is a helluva drug. I think this book does a great job of painting an accurate picture of addiction
A quick read of a teen's meth addiction and it's devastating effects... great for those who enjoy poetry format or are just tip toeing into the love of reading and want something quick, yet very impactful.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault
medium-paced
dark
emotional
medium-paced
*spoilers*
Kristina goes to visit her dad for the summer and things take a turn for the worst. She's a straight-A honor student who never breaks the rules until she meets Adam. Adam convinces her to try crank, or meth, and they soon start a relationship. Kristina becomes addicted to meth and even finds a dealer when she returns home to her mom. Her dealer rapes her and she becomes pregnant, all while still addicted to meth. She goes though drug-withdrawal and eventually tells her mom and stepdad about her pregnancy and gives birth to a son. The narrative implies that she is still doing drugs.
The way it is written is very well-done. I know that I wouldn't have been able to write a whole book in poetry form. However, I really didn't enjoy the subject matter. It made me uncomfortable and I just didn't like it. But I'm aware of how popular the book is and still recommend it to teens looking for something "different" or "dark". They love it.
Kristina goes to visit her dad for the summer and things take a turn for the worst. She's a straight-A honor student who never breaks the rules until she meets Adam. Adam convinces her to try crank, or meth, and they soon start a relationship. Kristina becomes addicted to meth and even finds a dealer when she returns home to her mom. Her dealer rapes her and she becomes pregnant, all while still addicted to meth. She goes though drug-withdrawal and eventually tells her mom and stepdad about her pregnancy and gives birth to a son. The narrative implies that she is still doing drugs.
The way it is written is very well-done. I know that I wouldn't have been able to write a whole book in poetry form. However, I really didn't enjoy the subject matter. It made me uncomfortable and I just didn't like it. But I'm aware of how popular the book is and still recommend it to teens looking for something "different" or "dark". They love it.
- ngl when i first started this i was about to drop it quick things i found it so hard to read and the formatting can be weird too but it def gets better with time, im like 66 pages in and it's better now for sure
- some stuff is kinda confusing still especially bc im reading this in a fast way but oh well
- so the chick's name is actually kristina but her alter ego or like the bad side of her is bree
- her family are flops, she's visiting her dad's rn where she sees the neighbor's bf and finds him super hot and momentarily flirts with him so she's probs def gonna end up sleeping with him
- she's at her dad's for 3 weeks which is when i think she'll start up her crank addiction hmmmm
- her dad's a hardcore druggie too tho he smokes weed and does the white stuff which im assuming is cocaine
- oh wait nvm it says crank is meth......haram i feel bad for this girl tho :( seeing ur dad in a state like this isn't easy
- bruh i would call this girl stupid for going along with the hot guy but looking at her fam situation i dont blame her for seeking some sort of attention elsewhere...sigh
- oh shit she said as he's about to kiss her everything about her life changed at that moment haram
- she met him at the bowling alley,,,,,,,this means theyre gonna do crank together GIRL NO!! leaveeeeee u dont need this dude to corrupt u omg
- she started weed badde moot wlek hrebe omg
- and now he's got her on cocaine in the stupid backroom of a bowling alley wtf... AND HER DAD KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN THEY CAME TOGEHER TO THE ALLEY LIKE??? R U NOT GONNA INTERFERE HELLO??? and this dude is just getting her high to sleep with her? ugh
- why's this book cheesing me omg
- oh wait oops i dont think her dad knew bc he was looking for them and they had to stop their rated R activities, sorry for blaming u dad <3
- adam is manipulating her so badly and with drugs en plus like all that just to sleep with her? wtf is wrong with u? corrupting someone's life like that for what ya3ne
- uhm nvm about the dad he's now snorting crank with her adam and the gf so that's cute :P
- she stomped outta there is tryna head home but uhm hello she's high so its hard and these dudes approached her..if we get a rape scene im done fr
- cue the rape scene. sigh...Sigh....SIGH
- adam saved the day luckily omg
- they said i love yous....wtf is going on man
- adam's gf killed hersef...what in the actual hell, what a Mess
- not her craving a line now girl stoooooop
- "his question reeked of voyeurism" uhm that's her literal dad wtf why's he this concerned if adam n her did it
- got high, were about to have sex but she had her period but adam still wanted to do it like the desperation fr jumped out
- she gave him a handjob that basicallt got forced out of her bc she "owed" him lmao for what ugly? ruining her life? ok
- she got a tattoo b4 leaving which i think is infected if its itching her
- 200 pages later and we have an age...16......haram
- - kristina is back in her hometown and its a mess, she's chatting up 2 guys and getting high and kissing them...what a mess!! not just crank but alcohol, weed, cigarettes bruh
- she said f u to her mom ya msha7arrrr
- she got raped by brendan a stupid life guard she's going out with just for crank...great
- her whole life is falling apart haram she just gets high everyday and goes to school and crashes :/
- she smoked crank (which is confirmed meth) and now does ecstasy too so that's cute... a whole ass drug cocktail..if we dont pump her system asap i fear for her
- im 400 pages in and there's 100 left which isnt much in this case and idk if we're gonna get a healthy ending or not....#stressed
- she "made love" with chase (good guy, loves her, was there for her when she broke down saying she got raped) while high and just ugh that doesn't sit right with me yeah they're consenting to it but still she's not in the right headspace for it even tho she might think she is
- she's talking about a needle now girl what drug is that now omg
- mixing ecstasy and speed....l7amdellah
- SHES DRINKING HER OWN BLOOD?????????????????????? WHAHTHTHHT WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ONNNN
- coming down fromm drugs sounds so intense tho i feel bad but also dont bc its like yall know what ur signing up for....stuff like this will always have a downside
- not her getting stopped by a cop..
- she's a dealer now....this book is so extra let the girl relax
- uhm she's heaving badly....sis is gonna be ill isnt she
- SHES PREGNANT NOOOOOOOOOOO AND SHE'S BEEN SNORTING ALL THIS TIME TOO? LA2
- chase isn't even the father but brendan is..her rapist...what kind of sick joke is this like im acc feeling turmoil reading this
- she snorted while 6 weeks pregnant i hate it here
- hase is at USC, parents are supporting her as long as she stays and finishes school....she still snorts a few times tho with the kid still in her belly :(
- kid gets born
- uhm she ends it off with wanting to do crank again omggg like i expected that bc she never really recovered or went to rehab or anything but i thought with the baby and all it would fade but nope...interesting to see the hold it has on someone
- ok so the real review now, i was gonna give up on this book like 10 pages in no joke i was literally gonna close it bc i thought it wasnt for me but i was like no samia ur acc gonna read this, with time i got used to the format of things so my reading flowed much better
- i find it cool how the author explained an entire story using a poetry ish format
- this type of book encourages fast reading so u can read it all in 1 day so every event that happened was like a stab to the heart bc it felt like it was happening so quick, one thing constantly after the other. obvs this is quite exaggerated but im sure this lifestyle is that of millions worldwide which sucks, especially with babies involved
- was an interesting read wasn't my fav but had lots of shock factor so it kept me on my toes, also really liked how its a quick read
- i think this book is part of a series bc this book doesnt really solve anything or resolve kristina's issues at all and clearly ends on a tone that suggests shit is gonna go down in the next installment, it just sucks bc this book does depict drug use in a good way and could be a bad influence for little kids so id suggest they stay away from it. it could be educational but they'd have to read the entire series or sum bc this book alone isnt enough...
- wouldn't reread bc there isnt much story nor character development, i guess ill see if i read the next book in the series or not to see what happens but still im not overly invested i just wanted to see her get better. im all for characters suffering bc i love reading stuff like that but i love seeing them work and heal through their suffering which didnt happen in this book so yeah ill see
- interesting, shock factor, i love drug related stuff so its right up my alley, i think the only downside is the format of the book? id prefer a format like this for actual poetry but this had pretty cool formats still ill acknowledge that
Final thoughts: 3/5
- some stuff is kinda confusing still especially bc im reading this in a fast way but oh well
- so the chick's name is actually kristina but her alter ego or like the bad side of her is bree
- her family are flops, she's visiting her dad's rn where she sees the neighbor's bf and finds him super hot and momentarily flirts with him so she's probs def gonna end up sleeping with him
- she's at her dad's for 3 weeks which is when i think she'll start up her crank addiction hmmmm
- her dad's a hardcore druggie too tho he smokes weed and does the white stuff which im assuming is cocaine
- oh wait nvm it says crank is meth......haram i feel bad for this girl tho :( seeing ur dad in a state like this isn't easy
- bruh i would call this girl stupid for going along with the hot guy but looking at her fam situation i dont blame her for seeking some sort of attention elsewhere...sigh
- oh shit she said as he's about to kiss her everything about her life changed at that moment haram
- she met him at the bowling alley,,,,,,,this means theyre gonna do crank together GIRL NO!! leaveeeeee u dont need this dude to corrupt u omg
- she started weed badde moot wlek hrebe omg
- and now he's got her on cocaine in the stupid backroom of a bowling alley wtf... AND HER DAD KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN THEY CAME TOGEHER TO THE ALLEY LIKE??? R U NOT GONNA INTERFERE HELLO??? and this dude is just getting her high to sleep with her? ugh
- why's this book cheesing me omg
- oh wait oops i dont think her dad knew bc he was looking for them and they had to stop their rated R activities, sorry for blaming u dad <3
- adam is manipulating her so badly and with drugs en plus like all that just to sleep with her? wtf is wrong with u? corrupting someone's life like that for what ya3ne
- uhm nvm about the dad he's now snorting crank with her adam and the gf so that's cute :P
- she stomped outta there is tryna head home but uhm hello she's high so its hard and these dudes approached her..if we get a rape scene im done fr
- cue the rape scene. sigh...Sigh....SIGH
- adam saved the day luckily omg
- they said i love yous....wtf is going on man
- adam's gf killed hersef...what in the actual hell, what a Mess
- not her craving a line now girl stoooooop
- "his question reeked of voyeurism" uhm that's her literal dad wtf why's he this concerned if adam n her did it
- got high, were about to have sex but she had her period but adam still wanted to do it like the desperation fr jumped out
- she gave him a handjob that basicallt got forced out of her bc she "owed" him lmao for what ugly? ruining her life? ok
- she got a tattoo b4 leaving which i think is infected if its itching her
- 200 pages later and we have an age...16......haram
- - kristina is back in her hometown and its a mess, she's chatting up 2 guys and getting high and kissing them...what a mess!! not just crank but alcohol, weed, cigarettes bruh
- she said f u to her mom ya msha7arrrr
- she got raped by brendan a stupid life guard she's going out with just for crank...great
- her whole life is falling apart haram she just gets high everyday and goes to school and crashes :/
- she smoked crank (which is confirmed meth) and now does ecstasy too so that's cute... a whole ass drug cocktail..if we dont pump her system asap i fear for her
- im 400 pages in and there's 100 left which isnt much in this case and idk if we're gonna get a healthy ending or not....#stressed
- she "made love" with chase (good guy, loves her, was there for her when she broke down saying she got raped) while high and just ugh that doesn't sit right with me yeah they're consenting to it but still she's not in the right headspace for it even tho she might think she is
- she's talking about a needle now girl what drug is that now omg
- mixing ecstasy and speed....l7amdellah
- SHES DRINKING HER OWN BLOOD?????????????????????? WHAHTHTHHT WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ONNNN
- coming down fromm drugs sounds so intense tho i feel bad but also dont bc its like yall know what ur signing up for....stuff like this will always have a downside
- not her getting stopped by a cop..
- she's a dealer now....this book is so extra let the girl relax
- uhm she's heaving badly....sis is gonna be ill isnt she
- SHES PREGNANT NOOOOOOOOOOO AND SHE'S BEEN SNORTING ALL THIS TIME TOO? LA2
- chase isn't even the father but brendan is..her rapist...what kind of sick joke is this like im acc feeling turmoil reading this
- she snorted while 6 weeks pregnant i hate it here
- hase is at USC, parents are supporting her as long as she stays and finishes school....she still snorts a few times tho with the kid still in her belly :(
- kid gets born
- uhm she ends it off with wanting to do crank again omggg like i expected that bc she never really recovered or went to rehab or anything but i thought with the baby and all it would fade but nope...interesting to see the hold it has on someone
- ok so the real review now, i was gonna give up on this book like 10 pages in no joke i was literally gonna close it bc i thought it wasnt for me but i was like no samia ur acc gonna read this, with time i got used to the format of things so my reading flowed much better
- i find it cool how the author explained an entire story using a poetry ish format
- this type of book encourages fast reading so u can read it all in 1 day so every event that happened was like a stab to the heart bc it felt like it was happening so quick, one thing constantly after the other. obvs this is quite exaggerated but im sure this lifestyle is that of millions worldwide which sucks, especially with babies involved
- was an interesting read wasn't my fav but had lots of shock factor so it kept me on my toes, also really liked how its a quick read
- i think this book is part of a series bc this book doesnt really solve anything or resolve kristina's issues at all and clearly ends on a tone that suggests shit is gonna go down in the next installment, it just sucks bc this book does depict drug use in a good way and could be a bad influence for little kids so id suggest they stay away from it. it could be educational but they'd have to read the entire series or sum bc this book alone isnt enough...
- wouldn't reread bc there isnt much story nor character development, i guess ill see if i read the next book in the series or not to see what happens but still im not overly invested i just wanted to see her get better. im all for characters suffering bc i love reading stuff like that but i love seeing them work and heal through their suffering which didnt happen in this book so yeah ill see
- interesting, shock factor, i love drug related stuff so its right up my alley, i think the only downside is the format of the book? id prefer a format like this for actual poetry but this had pretty cool formats still ill acknowledge that
Final thoughts: 3/5
The verse style is kind of distracting and pulls you away from the story but otherwise this is a very unique and terrifying tale full of pain at every corner and a sense of overwhelming descent into a world of shadows.