Crank Introduction

Whether it's Candy Crush Saga, Star Trek reruns, or checking Instagram to see what your friends are doing, we all have guilty pleasures that eat into our time. But what if your time suck wasn't so innocent, and instead had the power to destroy your finances, your mind, and even your future? Would you be strong enough to kick the habit? Or would you allow it to destroy you?

When it comes to meth addiction, it's often not as simple as quitting or staying the course—just ask Kristina Snow, protagonist of Ellen Hopkins's 2004 novel Crank. In the course of one summer, Kristina goes from straight-laced honors student to slave to crystal meth, a.k.a. crank. She starts out in charge, but before she knows it, meth is running the show.

All it takes is a court-ordered visit to see her estranged father to send her down a road that forever alters the course of her life. Kristina finds herself in all kinds of situations she never could have predicted, from losing her virginity in exchange for drugs to dating two pretty shady characters at once to becoming a crank dealer herself. Whoa—talk about a loss of innocence in hyper-drive.

If this all sounds too bad to be true, though, it isn't. A lot of Crank is actually based on the true story of Hopkins's own daughter's struggle with addiction to crystal meth. Like Kristina, her daughter's addiction began with a visit meant to reconnect her with her father, but instead she came home a completely different person, her family powerless to stop her downward slide. Feeling her daughter's story could be valuable to other teens, Hopkins began writing Crank, followed by two additional books about Kristina, Glass and Fallout.

Despite its dark roots in reality, Crank is an example of a bad experience transforming into something positive that helps others. The book has spoken to thousands of young, struggling readers, won numerous awards, and consistently appears on recommended reading lists for high school students. Still, that doesn't mean everyone's a fan—the book is also frequently banned for its raw, honest portrayal of teen sex and drug use. So whether you're craving a cautionary tale or looking to rebel, this book just might cure what ails you.

 

What is Crank About and Why Should I Care?

Ever sit through a drug education class or assembly at school and feel like it's a waste of your time? Sure, you were probably glad to get out of class for a couple of periods, but as the teacher droned on, you may have found yourself thinking that you didn't need to learn about drugs at all—after all, you would never allow yourself to get wrapped up in something so dangerous.

Here's the thing: If you were to go back in time and tell Kristina that she would soon be blowing her bank account, having promiscuous sex, and fraternizing with the Mexican Mafia to fulfill her crank cravings, she probably would laugh in your face. After all, Crank's protagonist is a talented young woman from a solidly middle class family, with a lot of potential, dreams, and ambitions—well, until she encounters crank. One bad decision made on a whim, and life as she knows it is over.

A key point to Hopkins's novel is that awareness of the destruction drug abuse carries can safeguard you and other teens from heading down a dangerous path that could cost you your future. Addiction can touch anyone, leaving devastation in its wake—and when it comes down to it, nobody's immune. So read on.