Crank: A Review

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My name is Jason Hahr, and welcome back to my literary corner of the Internet. I started a blog similar to this one in 2022. At the behest of my girlfriend, I decided to revitalize it in 2024 after I started reading again. She figures I read between 5 and 6 books a month and sometimes a whole lot more. I post reviews on Goodreads, and people tend to comment on them. Why not expand and create more book lovers while doing so?
 
The first book I am going to review in the new era of Jason Literary Corner is a book that came out in 2004 called Crank by Ellen Hopkins. When I first heard about this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. A movie with a similar title came out in 2006, and I thought that since I loved it, I might as well read the book it was based on, but it was nothing like the movie. Indeed, it was completely different. Here’s a note to Hollywood: When you make a movie, make sure there is no book with the same title that is entirely different from your film so you don’t confuse people. Crank the movie stars Jason Statham and, according to IMDb, is a movie about a hitman who was poisoned by the Chinese Triads and has to keep his heart rate up while looking for an antidote in under an hour or he will die. The movie was amazing and not relevant to the book at all.

Ellen Hopkins's book was about a teenage girl who takes a trip one summer to her dad’s, but they are estranged. While there, as the author puts it, she encounters the “monster” called Crank. For those that don’t know, crank is a slang name for a drug known as crystal meth. Meth has gained popularity in the mainstream lately due to a show with Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and others called Breaking Bad; however, this book explores the not-so-glamorous side of what meth does to the user rather than the manufacturing of it. Without giving away too much, the book is a romantic fictionalized depiction of Christina Georgia Snow’s life and what happens to her after being introduced to the drug on a summer visit to her dad’s.

I listened to the audio version, which Laura Flanagan narrated. I listen to audiobooks and sometimes e-books because I have a disability known as cerebral palsy, which sometimes affects my vision. The overall story written by Ms. Hopkins was a good one. There were some hot and heavy scenes, but for the most part, it was nowhere near 50 Shades of Grey, unfortunately. Yes, I like descriptive books. It’s probably because my vision is poor. Still, I enjoy visualizing a book as I’m reading, and even though I am disabled, or at least society says I am, I do enjoy a good romantic or just straight-up steamy interaction once in a while, but back to the book itself. In the beginning, Hopkins appears to be critical of males. Ms. Hopkins, if it was not your intention to come off that way, I am not trying to stir controversy; I am just saying that for the first little bit of the audiobook, it seemed as if Christina and her alter ego, Bree were not very high on men however as the book progressed, I did not maintain that feeling. It truly describes the horrors one drug can cause. I’m not saying that Breaking Bad made it cool, but this book highlighted what meth can do.

It not only destroyed some relationships some characters had with the main character but it transformed her into a different person. Although it was a work of fiction, I can say her alter ego, Bree, turned out to be someone I would not like to meet. Overall, I would give this book a 3/5. Since it is the first in a series, I will finish it, especially since the book ended with a cliffhanger.

I hope you enjoyed my review. The second book in the series, Glass, will come later as soon as my girlfriend and I finish it; however, next up, I will review Alice Wong’s book Year Of The Tiger: An Activist’s Life. I’m unsure when I will have it up, but follow this blog and our Facebook page to stay informed.

Happy reading till next time.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Bookworm, Jay.

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