Bloggin' 'bout Books: 12/20/11

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama

- Alaska

- Arizona

- Arkansas

- ~~California~~ (1)

- Colorado

- Connecticut

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- ~~Illinois~~ (1)

- ~~Indiana~~ (1)

- Iowa

- Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- ~~Maine~~ (1)

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Michigan

- ~~Minnesota~~ (1)

- Mississippi

- Missouri

- Montana

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New Mexico

- ~~New York~~ (2)

- North Carolina

- North Dakota

- ~~Ohio~~ (1)

- Oklahoma

- Oregon

- Pennsylvania

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

- South Carolina

- South Dakota

- Tennessee

- Texas

- Utah

- ~~Vermont~~ (1)

- ~~Virginia~~ (1)

- Washington

- West Virginia

- Wisconsin

- Wyoming

- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- England (3)

Searing Crank A Vivid, Disturbing Cautionary Tale

1:05 AM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Crank is more than a drug.

It's a way of life. You can

turn your back. But you can never really walk away (537).

I usually shy away from books described as "raw," "edgy," "disturbing" or the like, since such adjectives almost always signify a story with more language/sex/violence/gore than I want to ingest. Considering that Crank by Ellen Hopkins is just such a tale, you may wonder why in the world I picked it up. I asked myself the same thing as I raced through its very gritty pages. Well, first of all, Crank's the first book in a best-selling trilogy that's gotten a lot of buzz around the blogosphere. Second, it's a novel-in-verse and I'm really digging those lately. Third, its kind of difficult to put down. Really difficult, in fact. Because, somehow, this extremely unsettling book is also completely mesmerizing. And very, very affecting.

Loosely based on the experience of the author's teenage daughter, Crank begins the story of 16-year-old Kristina Snow, a good girl from Reno who gets her first taste of crystal meth while visiting her estranged father in California. An addict himself, he doesn't try to stop Kristina from using the drug - he joins her. Partying with her new "friends" makes Kristina feel loose, like a whole different person. Of course, as freeing as it is, this new hobby is only a temporary thing, a vacation thing, something she'll shrug off as soon as she's back in Nevada. She wouldn't even have a clue where to buy drugs back home.

Turns out, though, Kristina's got a real hunger for meth. The need for it doesn't dissipate when she returns home - it multiplies. It also turns out, she doesn't have to go very far to get what she needs. Soon, she's toking on a daily basis, blissing out to take the edge off her worries. It's under control, though. Kristina can stop any time she wants to ... until she can't anymore. As her lust for the drug grows, the good girl turns into someone she hardly recognizes, someone who lies, steals, deals, lets herself be used - anything to score another hit of the monster that's slowly consuming her.

As Kristina battles her all-consuming addiction, every other concern falls by the wayside. She's flunking her classes, draining her savings account, scaring her family, and doing irreversible damage to her body. And she doesn't care. Not while she's in the clutches of the monster. It's that freedom from worry, that sweet release, that keeps her coming back for more. And more. And more. Even when she discovers a new life forming inside her, she can't stop killing herself. Not for nine months. Not for nine days. Maybe not for nine minutes. Not when the monster is calling ...

Like I said, Crank fits all of the descriptions I listed above - it's raw, it's edgy, it's disturbing. It's all of those things and more. It tells it like it is in a way that's vivid, impactful and, surprisingly, sympathetic. Crank never glamorizes addiction, not in the least, but it shows how quickly and easily drugs can consume a person. Since Hopkins is a mother who's watched her daughter destroy herself with meth, the desperation felt by Kristina's family comes through loud and clear, even though the story's narrated only by Kristina. As much as I wanted a nice, clean ending for this troubled anti-heroine, I didn't get one. This isn't an easy book or even necessarily a hopeful one, it's a realistic, down-and-dirty look at the life of a drug addict. And it ain't pretty. What it is is an honest, unforgettable cautionary tale that will, hopefully, find its mark with the legions of teens (and adults) who are tempted every day by the lure of that most ferocious of monsters, crystal meth.

(Readalikes: I'm not sure I've read any other books about teenage drug addiction, so I'm not sure on this one. Any suggestions?)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, sexual content and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love: Another library
~~fine~~find

Mormon Mentions: Ellen Hopkins

1:00 AM

If you're new to BBB, you might be wondering what a "Mormon Mention" is. Heck, you may be wondering what a Mormon is. Here's a hint: My name is Susan. I'm a book blogger. And I'm a Mormon. Since I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (often referred to as The Mormon Church), I'm naturally concerned about how my religion is portrayed in the media. This blog deals with books, so every time I find a reference to Mormonism (written by a non-Mormon) in my reading, I highlight it here, along with my reaction to the statement(s). This gives me a chance to explain confusing doctrine, debunk misconceptions and laugh at the peculiarities of Mormon culture (it's true, sometimes we can be a funny bunch).

Not your cup of tea? No problem. Feel free to skip these posts.

So, I know Ellen Hopkins wrote a YA book about a girl who escapes her fanatic Mormon family by moving to another state. However, this reference doesn't come from that book. It comes from Crank, the first novel in a trilogy Hopkins wrote about a teenage girl's struggle with her addiction to meth. It says:

Tried my right side. Kept

seeing the kitchen

cockroach, the one I

tried to pretend was

only a Mormon cricket,

Los Alamos-grown (59).

If you're LDS or if you've studied Utah history, you've no doubt heard the story about early settlers to the state having to fight off scores of crickets to save their newly-planted crops. I thought that's what the character in the book was talking about, but, as it turns out, the Mormon Cricket is an actual animal. The insect (which isn't even actually a cricket, but a katydid) can be found in the grasslands of Utah, Idaho and Nevada. Since the main character comes from Reno, she's no doubt familiar with this particular bug.

The story of the crickets goes a little something like this: After Mormon pioneers emigrated to the Salt Lake Valley in the summer of 1847, they were fortunate to experience a

mild winter. Still, realizing how brutal the cold season in that area could be, they prepared for the upcoming winter by planting 900 acres of crops. In late May, swarms of large, black crickets descended, eating everything in sight. Because of the sheer number of insects, witnesses compared the incident to a Biblical plague. Desperate for help, the faithful pioneers prayed for heavenly aid. On June 9, 1848, in what many agreed was a miracle, legions of California gulls swept down on the valley. The birds devoured the crickets, vomited them up, then ate more. Because of the timely arrival of the gulls, enough crops were saved to ensure the survival of thousands of pioneers.

So impactful was the experience on Utah's early arrivals that a monument was erected in honor of the birds (Seagull Monument in Salt Lake City) and the California gull became the state bird of Utah.

(Book image from Barnes & Noble; gull painting by beloved LDS artist Minerva Teichert)

As with any historical event, differing accounts of the incident exist. Even if it has been exaggerated over the years, I don't care. I love the story of the seagulls devouring the crickets because, to me, it represents the inexhaustible faith, hard work and commitment of those early pioneers. Plus, I detest crickets.