The Verse Novel: Crank

Hey there, my readers!

One important genre of YA literature is the verse novel.  These novels are written in poetic form.  This allows the words to take multiple meanings and the lines to take various shapes, much like in poetry.  The subject material can range from biographical to completely fictional.

I read Crank by Ellen Hopkins as my verse novel choice.  Hopkins wrote the book in verse form after her daughter dealt with drug addiction.  It explores the chaos meth can place on you and your family, as well as how sometimes you don't realize how much you're giving to the drug until you hit rock bottom.  Hopkins has a great website that has a place for adults as well as a place for young adults.  The adult site focuses on her new adult novels while the YA site has resources for students and teachers.

Crank was a difficult read for me, based on the subject material.  Hopkins doesn't shy away from any of the nitty gritty details that go with drug addiction: loss of friends, rape, drug deals gone bad, family struggles, withdrawl.  It's all there.  Which I think is a good thing, because everyone (especially teens) need to see what comes with the high.  The ending was hopeful, which is equally important because it is possible to get better and for things to heal.

The verse form was especially powerful in this book.  There are places where you can read across the columns or you can read just one side or the other; both impact the meaning of the story and lend to the madness of the situation.  It can be a fairly quick read or it can take longer, depending on how you process it.  For me, I had to read sections twice to fully grasp the impact of them.

Crank is also part of a series.  It's the first book.  The other books in the series follow what happened after the events set in motion.  It is considered a work of fiction even though it is loosely based on Hopkins' experiences with her daughter.

I recommend Crank for 11th and 12th grade, and beyond.  Younger than that and I think it might be a little difficult.  I do think that even with the hard material, everyone should read it.  Don't shy away.

~Meaghan