Thursday, January 15, 2015

Preview of Crank

As part of the first night of class, I was given the opportunity to preview one of the many young adult literature books that we will be reading this semester. After listening to the rave reviews from my peers, I chose to read a few pages from the book Crank by Ellen Hopkins. My first reaction to this book was that this was not going to be something I would enjoy. I am not a huge fan of poetry and the way the text was formatted was off-putting to me. Needless to say, I was cranky about the eight minutes of DEAR time I had to spend on this book. However, after an attitude check, I began to read and realized that my first reaction to the book was wrong. Although it was different from the books I typically choose to read, I found myself being drawn into the story. I wanted to know more about this girl Bree, her family, and the challenges she is facing in her life. I even found myself beginning to enjoy the stylistic elements of the book. On pages ten and eleven, I loved how the author structured the text and really showed off the comments and thoughts that Bree's mom had said to her. At one point, I even laughed out loud because it reminded me of my own mother and some of the crazy things that she occasionally shares with me. After this preview of Crank, I have been reminded of an old and important lesson; Never judge a book by it's cover. 

3 comments:

  1. I completely agree with you Christina! The layout of the book is rather different than your typical YA literature. Poetry has never been much of an interest of mine, so I am not too sure how I will feel about reading Crank this week. I hope that I too am able to appreciate this particular genre of literature. Last week I read 2 or 3 pages, to become familiar with the text. I am interested to learn more about Bree's character and the impact that drugs have not only on her own personal experiences, but on those around her as well (family, friends, etc.).

    ReplyDelete
  2. I remember when I first started reading Crank, I felt the exact same way as you! The layout and format of the novel was not my style at all. I was immediately feeling a sense of regret by beginning this novel just because of it's layout. If it wasn't for my friend (who is an Ellen Hopkins advocate) to tell me to keep reading, I probably would have given up way sooner than I should have. I don't remember much of the book now, but I do remember LOVING the book. It didn't take me long to read at all. This is a perfect example of how stepping outside of your comfort zone can lead to great things! Without my friends persistence I would have missed out on a great novel all because of it's looks.
    Your blog has made me excited to revisit Crank again in the future!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Christina,
    I know this post was very early on in your reading process. I will be interested it hear what you have to say in your next entry. I do appreciate though that you took the time to note your "reluctance" with reading this type of text. It is good to recognize one's reading biases. Keep an eye on your resistance to the genre as you continue to read.

    ReplyDelete