Jun 26, 2011

About Books Blog 42: Crank

Photobucket

Author: Ellen Hopkins
Genre: Young Adult

Favorite Line

“His hurt swallowed mine, like space swallows time, and the two intertwine.”

Summary (from Goodreads)

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. However, on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she is 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.

My Thoughts

I read Crank several years ago. I wanted to read it again to refresh my memory, so I can finally read the rest of the trilogy. There were things going into the re-read I already knew I would like. Crank is written entirely in poetic verse. As a poetry writer myself, I enjoyed that immensely. I think Ellen Hopkins has a beautiful writing style in general.

I think the book affected me in a differently this time around. As an adult, I understood the gravity of Kristina’s situation. Well, I understood it as a teen. However, I suppose this time it was easier for me to see how her addiction effected not just her but the people around her, and how the consequences of her choices would effect her life in the long term. As a youth I only considered it an interesting story, as an adult I could connect more emotionally with it which made it a little heartbreaking. Especially when you consider that Crank is somewhat based on the real life experience of Ellen Hopkins’ daughter. Fortunately, the main character is written with a witty sort of dry humor, which keeps the book from becoming depressing. Crank is a wonderful well-written novel. I am looking forward to reading the sequel Glass.

Fact I Found Interesting

I was amazed by the amount of books Ellen Hopkins has written. She has written 56 non-fiction books for children along with the seven young adult books she has published. She also has several up coming novels waiting to be released.

The Movie

There is no movie as of yet. I think I prefer that it remain a book. While there are parts of it that would probably work well for film, part of Crank’s charm is that way in which it is written.

Music To Read By

I didn't listen to any albums while reading. I preferred to listen to a playlist created by the Napster application on my phone based upon an artist I put in the search. I really enjoyed it because it had many different styles of rock that I felt fit the novel really well.

Crank Playlist

Teenage Wasteland - The Who
Dirty Little Secret - All American Rejects
White Rabbit - Emiliana Torini
Summer Skin - Death Cab For Cutie
Paper Cut - Linkin' Park
Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Between Two Points - The Glitch Mob ft. Swan
My Best Theory - Jimmy Eat World
F.I.G.H.T - Unwritten Law
Beauty of Speed - Tori Amos
Party Poision - My Chemical Romance
Pieces - Sum 41
Between Two Lungs - Florence and The Machine
Beautiful Tonight - Krystal Meyers
You're Lost Little Girl - The Doors



That's all my lovelies. I meant to get this out last week. I totally did not factor in Father's Day and my crazy summer camp teaching schedule, and well a girl has got to sleep somewhere in there. Ha ha. Anyway, I have a less insane schedule this week. Which is great because I get to review the 2nd and 3rd Hunger Games books. Yay! Have a happy week. Keep it shiny!

No comments: