Crank

Crank by Ellen Hopkins is written specifically to make the reader think, feel, and understand.   Crank is a novel about infatuation, addiction, and going to great lengths to feed the needs of the two.   Loosely based on Hopkins' former meth addict daughter, the story follows Kristina Georgia Snow, a shy, 16 year old girl from Reno, Nevada.   However, by the end of the story, she is her alter ego Bree; rebellious, drug addicted, and spiraling downward at an increasingly faster rate.   Her downfall begins with a three week visit her to absentee, known drug abusing father and a chance meeting with the bad boy next door.   The reader follows Kristina through her choices that lead her from being a gifted straight A student, to a meth addicted junkie whose only goal in life is to get another fix.
Like Hopkins' other novels, Crank is written in free verse. Every page is a different poem, describing the life of Kristina and detailing her addiction.   At times, these poems will be in the shape of particular object that trigger emotions and provide powerful messages. For example, in the poem "Changed", a part in the story where Kristina was facing troubles with her addiction and is trying to get healthy again, the text is written in the shape of a Cross. Not only does this make a stronger impact of the idea of praying and keeping your faith during hard times, but it also makes the actual reading of the novel much smoother, keeping the reader interested. Also, in this poem, the longest line is the horizontal line crossing the Cross, which says "If You do still care, Lord, please keep me safe" (Hopkins 207). Because of the shape of the Cross, this line is the most visible of the poem - providing the reader with a powerful quote from Kristina that shows her inner turmoil because of the drug she is addicted to.
The free verse in the novel is also often separated so that strong words and sentences in the poems appear to the side of it, making the story much more powerful, and the...