Adolescent Drug Use: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Crank is an incredibly powerful novel, and the first in a series of novels by Ellen Hopkins dealing with a variety of young adult issues.  I was introduced to the book by a student, and I am so glad that I finally sat down to read it.  I was nearly in tears at the end, though much of that was probably pregnancy-induced, as you will see.  The novel is written as a series of poems that reveal the story of a teenage girl who becomes addicted to meth.

Crank is about a sixteen year old girl named Kristina Snow who lives with her mother, stepfather, and little brother in Reno, Nevada.  She also has an older sister is college who is a lesbian.  Kristina is a straight A student and model child, but she has some baggage from her past to deal with: her absentee father.  Kristina convinces her mother to let her visit her father for three weeks in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Kristina heads to the airport with an idealized view of her father and the visit that could not be farther from the truth:  the fact is that her dad is an addict who lives and works in a run-down apartment in a bad neighborhood.  Kristina has very little experience with boys, has never even kissed a boy, but all of this changes when she meets Adam on her first day at her dad's.  Adam seems to already have a girlfriend, but that doesn't get in the way of his pursuing Kristina.  Kristina is immediately taken with Adam, who clearly seems to be bad news, but this is the least of her problems.  Kristina is also developing a fearless alter ego, Bree, and Bree is getting stronger everyday.  Soon enough, Adam has introduce Kristina to meth, and Bree has accepted.  The downhill slide is fast, and Kristina is addicted to "the monster."  When she heads back home to Reno, she finds that she can't give up the meth, and she can't get rid of Bree. Kristina's new-found confidence as Bree leads her to two boys: the handsome Brendan, who seems like Mr. Right, and bad boy Chase, who seems like Mr. Wrong.  Both offer the promise of meth, so Kristina pursues them both.  Unfortunately she finds truth in the old adage "you can't judge a book by its cover."  Chase appears to truly care about Kristina, though he does take her farther into the world of addiction, while Brendan ends up date raping her after supplying her with meth and getting her high.  Kristina continues her downward spiral, losing her friends and her standing at school and ultimately catching the attention of her mother and stepfather due to her drastic change in behavior.  When Kristina overhears her mom and stepfather discussing the possibility that she is taking drugs and making plans to try to investigate further, Kristina sneaks out of the house only to be caught breaking curfew by a cop and taken to juvenile detention.  One might think this experience would scare Kristina straight, and maybe it would've scared Kristina straight, but Bree simply uses it as an opportunity to network, finding a new supplier through her roommate in the detention center and soon enough becoming a dealer as well as a user.  There seems to be no end in sight for Kristina's downfall until she finds out the unimaginable: she is pregnant.  At first, she assumes the baby belongs to Chase, but a visit to Planned Parenthood tells a terrible truth: the baby belongs to Brendan.  Chase, for all his faults, still declares his love for Kristina and vows to stand by her and the baby, even asking her to marry him.  Kristina briefly considers an abortion but changes her mind when she believes she feels the baby move.  She turns down Chase's proposal, allowing him to pursue his dreams by attending school at USC. She continues school herself and graduates six days before her son is born.  The pregnancy helps her put her addiction in perspective and gives her a reason to fight it, but it is an addiction, and one that she may not every fully recover from.  Despite some slip ups during pregnancy, her baby is born seemingly healthy, though she does note that he cries more and sleeps less than most babies, a possible sign of withdrawl.  Still, in the end, the desire for meth is ever present, and Kristina realizes it will never completely go away.

Crank is primarily devoted to drug addiction in teens, focusing on meth, but also touching on alcohol, tobacco, and ecstasy. The novel does, however, focus on other young adult issues, including divorce and blended families, parent issues, homosexuality, rape, sex, and pregnancy.  The author explains in the "Author's Note" that while the story is fictional,  it is loosely based on her own daughter's experience, as well as stories of other addicted teens.  She stresses to readers that "Nothing in this story is impossible."  The novel is the author's attempt to bring to light the horrors of addiction, and she does so in a deeply moving and powerful way.  I think this is an important novel for any teen to read, so that he or she can see that one bad decision, one moment of weakness or experimentation can lead to a lifetime of pain and suffering.

References

Hopkins, E. (2004). Crank. New York: Simon Pulse.