Book Review 

The book Crank was recommend to me by my Student Assistant Teacher Alisha Clark.  I really wasn’t sure that this type of novel told in verse form was anything I would like, since normally it’s not my thing.  So, imagine my surprise when I started reading it and found myself sucked into the story to the point where I could not put this book down. 

Ellen Hopkins wrote Crank in 2004.  She once said in a interview that her book is somewhat based on her life and things that she went through. I always thought that when writing books, a lot of authors really don’t like to express their feelings too much because some feel like they don’t want to be looked down on or judged.  I feel like we learn lessons from reading books like this, and even though we go through things doesn’t mean others have not lived it.  From reading this book, I’ve seen how families can overcome things for the better and the worse. The book was written from the point of view of Kristina, which sounds like the point of view of the author.  I liked how the author didn’t use a lot of characters and told it mainly from Kristina’s point of view. Each and every night, Kristina sat down and expressed her self about the “monster” and how it made her feel when she was not at her highest point, like how she felt when taking the drugs.  It made me have an understanding about the people who take do crack and pop pills. It showed me that they would do anything just to get high and feel like the person that is inside them would only be expressed when they are high.

I had a few opinions on the plot of Crank.  I didn’t understand why the mother let her child go stay with her father knowing that he was addicted to crack and smoking anything that can get him high. It’s funny because it stated how the mother left him just to get away from it and then to put her child with a person who has a tough time dealing with their own problems. The main character Kristina seemed like she is trying to be someone that she is not. I believe that the author gave her a alter ego name Bree, Bree was the other person inside Kristina’s mind, she was the loud mouthed one and she didn’t care what anybody had to say about her. Then Kristina started talking to Buddy, a boy she met when she was with her father.  I didn’t like how she seemed so easy, it seemed like she’ll do anything for him just to make him happy.  Noticing how Buddy introduces Kristina to drugs, It made me think that the father wanted to have his daughter and her friend on drugs, so that he could join them or have company. I didn’t like that at all. It made me look at him like he is a drug freak and would do anything just to get high. Then for Kristina, who thinks it was okay to do what any man tells her to do. It seems like Kristina wanted to find love, but just was looking in all the wrong places.

This book was written for young girls who think they are out here alone and feel like there’s no one that they can talk to.  Even though we look down on and say that people who do drugs are wrong, I believe that it just some way of how people express their ways. For example, if someone feels like an unwanted child, they may turn to drugs.  People need to have a better understanding of what is happening when it comes to reading books.  Some of us read books just to read them and other read books to learn how to overcome their problems. From reading this book, I came to the point that I learned how to deal with things and I don’t have to do drugs or take anything because from learning what Kristina went through, I know what these types of drugs can do to you.

I would give this book four stars out of four stars because I love how Ellen Hopkins writes some of her book in poetry form.  The overall mood of the story was relieving because of how Kristina grew from being a young teenager to a an adult.   There is a surprise at the ending for the reader that is unexpected.  Throughout the story she overcame her struggles.  After reading this book, I think Ellen Hopkins told a good story and did a good job doing it.  I think the way Ellen Hopkins ended the story was a good setup for the reader to get the message across that the mistakes that Kristina made so that other young girls would not make the same mistakes as well.

Works Cited

Hopkins, Ellen.  Crank.  New York : Simon & Schuster , 2004 . Print .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crank_(novel). Wikipedia, Crank.  Website.

Today in class Ms.P told asked us how many language did we speak. Half of us raised our hands and said we only speak one. We didn’t really have a full understanding of what she was saying.

   “Class, I’m not just talking about Spanish or French”

I raised my hand. 

  “So what are you talking about” 

 “Well Kenayah how to you speak to your friends?”

  Slang is consider a different this language because it a different from when your in school or talking to your mother about something or just want to funny in the moment.

Then it had me thinking, when I’m in church, I notice a lot of the older women speak  in tongues. Now that we started to discuss how we speak different languages it has me thinking about a lot that I never knew or really didn’t pay any mind to.I Learned that a lot of us might talk differently because of the things we hear or know just from our hood.

Now,in my heart I start to look at how I speak

“Hello, my name is Kenayah” 

 when I’m in school talking to a teacher at my school.

“Sup cuz, mi name Na” 

  When I’m talking to my friend outside.But when I’m at a a job interview I feel like I have to speak properly  because I don’t want them to think of me like my mother did not teach me any manners. This paper that Ms.P has us doing is a good one. It has me thinking  about  about how I speak. The other day Ms.P had us write about different types of languages that we speak, and when I sat down to type, I had to say a lot of thinking about a lot because I have to peer edit what I need to stay when I’m around different groups of people who I put my self around. When she explained it to me it didn’t make any sense, after she broke it down to me it start to make some sense in my head.I thought about all my phrases and even words that came out of my mouth when I’m around my friends, family and even when I’m at a job.

 “Yo Na, What you doing tonite” said Briana. I was home and she had called me.

“I don’t know cuz I might just keep my lazy ass in the house ski, aint shit outside to do any way” 

 “ I know but I’m bored and need something to do, plus it a party to nite you trynna to cum” said Briana.

“Maybe, but I’m about to take a nap so just call me when you get ready to leave Im going over to my him house “

“Who tf is ya him” she shouted though the phone. 

“My boyfriend duhhh.”

As I wrapped up the convo with her I started to see how my body language had took over. My hands got to moving and head got to going back and forth, I though i was a bad girl every time I look at my self in the mirror, because if it was my mother, I would have never said this to her.Or have my body language would of never been like this. Then all I could here was my tongues started to move, words started to come out of my mouth. 

Next day I had a job interview and I know that i need to straightening up and take all that Slang talk out of me, If i wanted the job i had to show them,  I was a bright and smart young lady.

“Hello my name is Kenayah Cerdan” I said 

“Well my name is Tytianna I’m the hiring manger” she said.

“Then she said what can you bring to this job,”

“ In my eyes I have a lot to offer you and the work place, I know that I can be the best I can be” I said.

 After it was over we shook hands and she told me that I have the job, on the subway i was thinking in my head that my ways change when I was looking at her,I made sure that my body languages made me look good and it didn’t show the interviewer any sign of me when I’m on my own time,

I learn how to code-switch when I was in the 9th. My english name Mr.Kay told me how to work with it and that it easy to also work around it.Do you know that you’re doing it? 

Sometime, but not all the time because I really don’t caught my self all the time

As we enter the room I saw how my baby is plugged up to all these wires and all I wanted to do was cry and his mother saw my pain in my face, but she left my head up and told me not to cry.Soon as we come in the room there a female holding a baby and I was thinking in my head who the fuck is this but by me begin so up set I didn't pay it no mind. and I saw how Ms Kim had made the same face as me and was think the same thing I was . So his mother ask her was her name is she said khaijah and they she ask who are you, she stated Im josh baby mom and I looked and cry his mother was like that not true and why didn’t he tell me about you or the baby. I had this shit running through my mind, I didn’t know how to feel because I was the wife and I just found that my husband was living another life. I mean we been together for 5 years now and he didn’t even act like he had a baby on me. So I started to question her like how do you know him because Im don’t even think that this is he baby, Even if it was why didn’t he tell his mom or sister because only tell them the truth about everything,How do we even know that this is really his baby. As time so on we going back and forth. Ms Kim told us to stop because we where here for him and didn’t want us to act like kids. But me begin up set I left the room and went in the waiting room with the rest of the family and friends and his sister saw the pain in my eyes and how the tears was coming down my face. Na what the matter what happen in the room. Well their was a girl in there with a baby 

talking about how she is josh baby mom and she been with him for about 2 years and her son is 2 years of age. Dacia looked shock because she wanted to know to know who the fuck is khaijah.
  I want to see her I can’t wait until she come out the room so I can see what she and the baby look like, thats all Dacia kept saying but some many things was coming to mind because i was in my second year of college at truth university. Its was so hard because I was wondering did he do it when I was in school, I don’t know mean but this shit was crazy. Then the doctor come out and tell us that he heart rate drop and that they was able to stop the blood and pick up the heart beat. But he will have to remind here for a couple of nights and we would like to know who staying  with him. khaijah say I will, before I could get the words out my mouth his mother and sister say no honey but my daughter in law Na is staying here with him we don’t even know you all like that you just so happen to pop up. As Ms Kim and the girl was speaking Dacia pulled me over to the side and she was like I know here she used to live on 27st. I heard that all she does is sleep around with people men and then say that they are her son father. After this point I didn’t know how to fell or what to do.So later that night I stayed in the hospital with him just waiting to see if he was going to get up.Then on top of that I had a paper that had to be turned in for school that morning.

       So later that morning I heard some one called my name but I think Im dreaming but as soon as I open, I saw that my husband was up. I was happy then again I was say because some girl just told me yesterday when we was here that he might be the father. Man i had so much on my plate with was crazy. So I ask him who she was and why did you cheat on me while I was n school. Josh looked at me as if i was high of some type of drugs. All he kept say was who are you talking about and I don’t have no kids. In the back of my mind I had the weird feeling like he was telling me the truth but then again I had to think with my head and not with my heart because thinking with my heart could of got me in to a lot of mess that I really didn’t need at this moment. Three weeks go by and Josh had came home and when we got home that had a party for him at his mother house and as soon as we walk in the door I saw that girl khaijah that said she was his baby mom but I didn’t want to start anything because his family and friends was around, but the way she was just looking at me gave me the impression that she was mad that Im his wife and been here for 5 years strong and still  not going no where. So as time went on josh didn’t see her because didn’t no one wanted him to get mad about thing that was going on. While everyone is outside she was getting smart, and me I have a loud mouth so I know people was going to heard me, and next thing I know i hit her and everyone heard us and stop what they was doing and ran into the house Josh didn’t understand what was going on but when he saw her his face had drop and all he did was pull me and away and started smacking me asking me house could i be so dumb and go back and forth with her. This time i knew i was right that might of had something going on with her. So I ask him a again what was going on with them two and yes he told me the truth but he also had told me that they only met and by that time she was prego and he didn’t know until one day she called his phone right after she had her son. One thing I can say about him is that he is not dumb when it comes to that and I know we then had that moment so many times.

Then a week goes by and Josh had did a DNA to find out if he was the father or not and that only was a two day wait. I was so scare to had to deal with all these problem and then as I was noticing that I only had 3 weeks left until I went back to school and I felt like if i left he was going to be up to his ways while Im gone even though he comes up to my school and stay with me for about a week time and time threw out the school years so I felt like I had to trust him somewhat people at least he call and checked in with me but he didn’t even know that I had eyes on him everywhere this man was at and trust and believe they always came back and told me things about him even if I didn’t want to heard it most of the time. In my heart i know god cant give us to much that we cant handle. So the test papers can back and me and him was to scare to open it so we drove all the up northeast to give it to him mom so that she can open it. so about 5 min later we pull up to her house. I had all these butterflies in my stomach i didn’t want to eat or sleep, but all I was thinking is what if this is his baby so we both get out and walk up to the door. I guess his she saw us and she knew why we had came there and soon as she open the door i took the papers from him and told her to open it cause i was to scare to even look at it. We sit down in the living room and everyone was there beside the baby mom.( There was a long pause after she read the paper)

   In the case of 2 year old khayni derrick josh pray you are not and the “I yell the father” and she look at me as if i knew he wasn’t the father  and in my heart i knew he was because him or his family didn’t know that later on the took a test and found out that me and him was having a baby. Then that time came I it was time for me to come back to school. I was happy because it seem as if everything was right and I was happy about coming back because I had all my work done but i miss going out wit my room mate siani and plus i know her since i was a buck in south philly. So it was time for me to leave and all I could do was cry because I was leaving him. I know i was coming back and I knew he was coming to see me so I didn’t have no worries.But the last time i told him is congratz where having a baby. He was so happy but i don’t think I was so we got in the car and he took me to the airport where he was holding me so tight and kiss. Then we went our different ways .

la cena