Crank, Crack, Whatever You Want To Call It, in Ellen Hopkins’, Crank

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Drugs, sex, hormones, adolescence, and decisions, decisions; All of such characterize Ellen Hopkins’, Crank. In the attention-grabbing novel is a high school junior named Kristina; a girl who has never done anything other than spend time with her family and focus on receiving straight A’s on her report card. Other characters in the novel include Bree, Kristina’s wild alter ego, Adam, or “Buddy,” whom she meets while visiting her father, Brendan, Chase Wagner, her mother, father, and other friends and family members who experience her crazed evolution. This “evolution” of Kristina begins when she leaves her home in Nevada for a short vacation with her father in New Mexico. She begins as the perfect daughter, but on her trip to visit her absent father, she disappears into her alter ego, Bree, who is her exact opposite: fearless, crazy, and experimental. Furthermore, Kristina/Bree meets what she refers to, “the monster,” also known as the drug, “crack,” and begins an unwinding journey which starts as wild, ecstatic ride, and ends in a struggle through what most call a mental hell. The novel sets up for Kristina’s destruction when she goes to New Mexico to see her father. There she meets Adam, (also known as Buddy), a boy with an addiction to crack. Adam turns into her first love interest and in becoming more interesting and daring, Kristina begins to morph into Bree. Such causes her to have occasional internal wars with herself on what is right and wrong, since while Kristina does not welcome change, Bree does. Furthermore, one night Bree is in charge and Adam introduces her to the monster. She states that she has never felt anything near amazement like that in her life, hence falling in love with the drug and bringing the addict... ... middle of paper ... ...ading the exclamations as fast as the people would be saying them, and understanding what it would be like from Kristina's point of view. This incredible piece of literature teaches the reader how powerful the mind can be, especially under the influence of any drug. When reading Crank, by Ellen Hopkins, you are able to get into the head of the actual addict, which in this case is Kristina/Bree. You are also able to understand what choices she made as well as why she opted for such outcomes. This is one of the reasons why this book is so impacting; it contains an extreme appeal to pathos in explaining the pains of her everyday life, all due to the fact that she chose one led by drugs, also known as, “the monster.” Such is evident in every single poem. Crack, crank or whatever you want to call it; it ruined Kristina, morphed her into Bree, and it can happen to you.

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