Crank (The Crank Trilogy)

I bought used and it had a little more damage than ususal, but it was still very readable and this book was a great read for anyone wanting to understand more about addiction.

I was told that this book was amazing... so I decided to buy in on Amazon and I was not the least bit disappointed with the service of the seller or the book itself!I loved this book. I loved how the first page immediately pulled me in and made me want to keep reading! I sat down the night I got it and didn't put it down until I was done only a few hours later.The storyline of a young girl under the grips of the "Monster" was terrifyingly interesting and fascinating as a teenager myself. It was very informative and depicted the brutal effects of a substance when abused by a person. I find it hard to believe that other critics thought the prose-style writing was distracting and hard to follow. I thought it was extremely effective. When Kristina was nervous, the text was scattered which made me anxious to find the next word and keep going to see what happened next. The style and format in which this book was written truly makes it more real. For example, when Kristina was praying, the words were in the shape of a cross. I appreciated the author's new and fresh style and writing.It makes me upset to see the low ratings for this book by people that claim to be meth users themselves or recovered meth users. I think that given the circumstance, Ellen Hopkins did a fantastic job writing a book meant to scare people about addictions. And while it is just an opinion as everything else is, it should not be taken lightly or tossed to the side because someone who actually went through the same thing didn't feel the way Kristina did in the book. Everyone feels things differently. I can also imagine that since this is a very personal thing for the author that she did not have an easy time writing this. Her work shouldn't be criticized when she did what she thought was best in delivering her important message. I advocate Ellen Hopkins, Crank and her other works.I will and have already recommended this book to a few people. I believe it is very important that everyone knows the harsh effects of a drug on a person and the people around them. I empathize with the author due to the fact that this story was written around what her daughter experienced. I will have my children read this someday and pass it along to those improtant to me.

I read this book when I was in middle-high school for the first time and could really relate. It’s suck a great read and really keeps you glued in.

This is a very sad look into the life of a straight edged teenager who meets the "monster" or more accurately crank. This story shows how even the best of kids can get in over their head where drugs are concerned. Parents may miss the signs no matter how glaring they are, as they would never expect their children to use drugs. Having met several people who have had problems with the "monster" in my life, and heading into a career to help them, I figured this would be a good book to read. No personal experience with the monster, but that doesn't matter because Kristina and Bree do a good job of explaining it to readers without having to have personal experience.This book is a modern day Go Ask Alice, that seems more realistic then GAA. Not so much as written in journal/diary style, but straight from the writer/teenager's perspective. The way the book is formatted/written is interesting. It is not the typical paragraph, chapter, page novel of most books. It is almost written like versus in poetry, yet it tells a very large story. I originally thought the type of writing was going to bother me, but I found that it did not at all. I was so busy following the story line that I rarely noticed the unique paragraphs and chapters. I like how the writing is solely focused on Kristina/Bree and not a lot of time is spent discussing details other than the general appearance of Adam, Brendan, and Chase. There are no long paragraphs describing what Kristina's school, home, and dad's house look like outside of a few words here and there. The focus of the book is Kristina/Bree's relationship with the "monster" and that is where the details are. It is unique to have a book that does not dwell on descriptions and meaningless details. There is no shortage of details on the journey with the monster. The book does not end in a happily ever after either. The book cuts off in a place where the readers can walk away thinking "maybe she stayed clean and life went on". Or the readers who want to know more can pick up "Glass" the second book in the series to see what actually happens to Kristina. I don't know about others, but I chose to continue on the journey to see what happens. I have the third book "Fallout" ready to go as soon as I am finished with "Glass".A warning to readers: This book is not a happy, upbeat, "fun" book, but a look into a dark world that is open to almost everyone including teenagers. I was very sad and disturbed while reading this book, because I know that not only is it based on true events (details were changed as per Ellen Hopkins in the beginning of the title pages), but it could happen to just about anyone. It is very realistic. You can tell that Ellen Hopkins had true characters to model her book after. Hopefully during the three books in this series a happy ending can be found, but I am not personally expecting it. As the last paragraph of the book states,"Crank is more than a drug. It's a way of life. You can turn your back. But you can never really walk away. The monster will forever speak to me. And today, it's calling me out the door".This should give you an idea about how there might not be a happy ending in this series. It is definitely worth the read though. Sad story, but if you know that going into it, then it is worth it.

Ellen Hopkins is one of my favorite authors. She writes books with troubling topics, but they are very insightful on the struggles different people go through.The crank series consists of 3 books.CrankGlass& Fallout.This series follows a young girl who is dealing with addiction, and many other challenges.The story is loosely based off of the real addictions of the authors daughter.Hopkins books are beautifully written in a verse format. They are easy reads, but deep and powerful.I read these books as a young teenager, and they were very eye opening to some topics that I didn’t know much about, however I understood them much better as a young adult.I highly recommend them to everyone.

It was perfect quality, the last person took good care. Bought it for a fraction of the price used, and I'll continue to do so. Very impressed with the "used" quality. It was like new

"Wow" was my initial reaction after reading this book/poem. Ellen Hopkins has created poetry for the modern mind; I was hooked from the first page and read it within hours. I knew what I was getting myself into but I didn't expect to love Hopkins style as much as I did.I hadn't read any of Ellen Hopkins books before so I thought that Crank would be the best place to start as it was her first. Just like the rest of her books, Crank is written in verse. I really enjoyed how the verses were placed differently on each page as it added to the uniqueness (is that even a word?) of the book. Hopkins is able to bring out a lot of raw emotion in so little words, this helped me understand what the main character was feeling throughout different stages in the plot.In a way this book reminded me of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as we see two sides to our main character. There's Kristina, a good girl who would never do anything remotely bad and then there's Bree. Bree's a thrill seeking, adrenaline junkie who welcomes danger with loving arms and a warm smile. On a summer trip to her dads we say goodbye to Kristina and soak up in the essence of Bree, for the first time in her life we see Kristina exposing herself to drugs, alcohol and love. I don't think I've ever read a book based around addiction so not only was it interesting but also insightful. Kristina's character is based on Ellen Hopkins own daughter and her dealings with the monster, this makes the book a lot more personal to the author herself. I respect her for sharing this story with us as I think that it shows us readers how drugs not only effect a person but also the others around them.It was intriguing to see the hold the monster has on Kristina and how it affects her wherever she goes. We get to see its destructive nature and how it gradually changes her as a person. I would've liked to have read a book like this while I was at school as I think it's a great way to show young people the effects of drugs and how they ruin lives.I cannot put into words how wonderful this book is and the impact it's had on me. I feel that my words do not do it justice; it is definitely one of the hardest books I've ever reviewed. This book is sculpted to perfection, eerie and haunting but one I definitely won't forget soon. I plead that everyone gives it a chance, even if you don't like it you'll still come out with something, an important, powerful knowledge of addiction and the downward spiral that comes with drugs.

Das Monster der SuchtAls Kristina beschließt ihren Vater zu treffen, war die Freude ihrer Mutter eher gering. Von ihrem Vater weiß Kristina nur wenig, und was sie weiß, ist meist negativ. Doch sie will ihn sehen und fährt in ihrem Sommerferien für drei Wochen nach Albuquerque in New Mexico. Aber schon bald muss sie erkennen, dass es ein Fehler war.Bei ihrem Vater angekommen, fühlte sie sich wie bei einem Fremden, eine wahre Beziehung zwischen Tochter und Vater will sich nicht aufbauen. Dort wo ihr Vater lebt, lernt sie Adam kennen. Und mit Adam betritt sie eine andere Welt. Sie stellt sich ihm als Bree vor, als jemand, der sie gar nicht ist und sie verfällt den Monster. Mit einer Line wird sie abhängig von Crystal Meth und sucht seitdem nach dem Kick der Droge. Aus der perfekten Schülerin und Tochter wird der Fall, der immer tiefer sinkt… und das Monster hört nicht auf nach ihr zu jagen.„Crank“ ist kein gewöhnlicher Absturzroman über eine Jugendliche, die im Kontakt mit der Droge, ihr vollends verfällt und ihr Leben endgültig abrutscht. Es ist vielmehr eine Geschichte, über das, was man gerne wäre, und das was man ist, die umso tragischer wird, wenn man weiß, dass Ellen Hopkins die Geschichte ihrer eigenen Tochter verarbeitet hat.Aus der Sicht von der sechzehnjährigen Kristina erzählt Ellen Hopkins eine Geschichte, in einer Form, die man bei einem solchen Roman nicht erwartet. „Crank“ ist nicht prosaische Kunst, sondern lyrische und besteht aus Gedichten, die verschiedenartig die Handlung zum Ausdruck bringen. Es sind Gedichte, die oftmals mit freien Rhythmen arbeiten und anderseits sich der konkreten Poesie hingeben, die zusammen einen gesamten Roman bilden, mit einzelnen Gedichten die aufeinander aufbauen.Der Aufbau der Gedichte hat dabei vor allem mehrere Funktionen: Durch ihre Brechungen und Trennungen lassen sie verschiedene Sichten zu, lassen einerseits Zwiespalt aufkommen und durch die einzelnen Einrückungen, werden bestimmte Aspekte betont, mit der vorübergehenden Strophe in einen anderen Kontext gestellt oder komplett herausgenommen. Die Einrückungen selbst erstellen einen neuen Text, nebst den eigentlich zu lesenden Strophen. Mit dieser Brechung baut sie auch oft die Gespräche auf: Auf der einen Seite die Gedanken von Kristina, auf der gegenüberliegenden Seite die Meinung der Anderen, oder aber auch die kontroversen Gedanken von Kristina und ihrer neuer Persönlichkeit Bree.Mit einbezogen sind daber die Titel, die sich über mehrere Gedichte hinweg zu einen eigenen Text stellenweise entwickelt und somit einzelne Linien zwischen den jeweiligen lyrischen Texten schafft ein Gesamtkunstwerk erschaffen. Aber nicht nur die einzelnen Überschneidungen und Brechungen selbst strukturieren die Texte, sondern auch optisch bilden die Texte, durch die verschiedenen Anordnungen, eigene Figuren. Optisch repräsentieren die Gedichte den jeweiligen Inhalt und schaffen daraus weitere Verbindungen zwischen der jeweiligen Formatieren und Gestaltungen des Textes mit dem Inhalt, den die Autorin uns wiedergeben will.Dabei achtet sie sprachlich auf eine poetische, aber doch harte, jugendliche Sprache, die ihre Protagonistin zum Ausdruck bringt. Mal verliert man sich in Sätzen, mal werden schlaghammermäßig einzelne Wörter genannt. Es ist mal ruhig, dann nehmen die Texte Fahrt auf und bilden einen eigenen Rausch, den man sich schwer wieder entziehen kann. Die dichte, poetische Sprache und die jeweilige Gestaltungsformen schaffen eine eigene Art der Erzählform, die mit vielen Gefühlen und doch großer Distanz auftritt. Eingezogen ins Geschehen, wird der Leser auch immer wieder angesprochen, zu ihr geholt, nach seiner Meinung gefragt und diese Formen machen „Crank“ weitaus als zu nur einem Absturzroman.Denn plötzlich ist man Kristina nahe, man fühlt mit ihr, man begleitet sie auf ihren Weg und lernt sie zu verstehen, auf einen Weg, die man durch Prosa nicht hätte schaffen können. Als Leser steht mit mittendrin in der Handlung, als ein Bekannter, ein Zuhörer, der sich seine eigene Wertung erlauben darf. Einen Zeigefinger gibt es nicht und trotzdem werden die Gefahren durch die Drogensucht deutlich und klar, trotz der ungewöhnlichen Art der Romangestaltung.Und nebst diesem Realismus, den Kristina ausstrahlt, haben die anderen Charaktere eine Menschlichkeit, die einem ans Herz geht. Nicht nur Kristina steht es im Zentrum, auch die sorgenden Eltern, die vergessenen Freunde und die falschen Momente, die falschen Entscheidungen, die man trifft und einen Weg eingeschlagen hat, den man nicht mehr verlassen kann.Dadurch ist „Crank“ nicht nur ein Jugenddrama oder eine ernste Geschichte, sondern vielmehr ein Roman über unsere eigenen Entscheidungen, der Fähigkeit sich zu verändern und dem Gefühl, dass man schneller falsch abbiegt als man glaubt. Es ist die Geschichte eines Mädchen, welches fällt und im Begriff ist, ihren Fall zu begreifen.Für den Leser bleibt ein Ende, welches keines darstellt. Ein Ende, welches man selbst bewerten muss, weil Kristina ihre eigene Einschätzung zur Situation nur schwach durchscheinen. So bald schlussendlich der Gedanke an eine Geschichten, deren Ende bewusst offen gehalten worden istFazit„Crank“ ist ein ungewöhnlicher Roman, der mit seiner lyrischen Erzählform, eine Emotionalität schafft, die dem Leser zu schaffen macht. Mit einzigartiger Sprache und Form und bitteren Realismus ist „Crank“ ein Roman, der ein Meisterwerk. Ungewöhnlich gut!

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I love it. One of my favourite books. It’s extremely relatable and almost mirrors my story to a T. I love the series and all of Ellen Hopkins books. She’s a talented writer. Crank, Glass and Fallout are all based on true stories!If you’re buying the Kindle version, be sure to use smaller font as the poetry and style of writing will look odd.