Glass [Paperback]

Ellen Hopkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Kristina Snow was a 17-year-old with high grades and a loving family. In Crank (S & S, 2004), one summer in California with a meth-addicted boyfriend destroys her life. Addicted, she's raped, and goes back home to Reno pregnant. Glass picks up a year later. She lives with her mother and works at a 7–11. Depressed about her post-baby figure, she goes back on speed to lose weight. Her mother kicks her out and gains custody of the baby. She continues to spiral to the last page, which sets readers up for a third novel. Glass is even more terrifying than Crank in its utter hopelessness; meth's power is permanent and Kristina is an addict whether she uses or not. Though her recount of events in the first book is dry and self-indulgent, the pace snowballs as soon as she takes her first toke of rock meth, and one desperate, horrifying measure or decision follows another. Like Crank, this title is written in verse, but certainly not poetry. Hopkins's writing is smooth and incisive, but her fondness for seemingly random forms is distracting and adds little to the power of the narrative. Minor characters are flat, and Kristina's overblown self-pity elicits little empathy. The author tries but fails to present meth itself as a character; her descriptions of "the monster" are precious and overwritten. Kristina's story is terrible, and even when she's high, the narrative voice and mood are sobering. Teens, including reluctant readers, may appreciate the spare style and realism of Kristina's unhappy second chapter.—Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Flanagan is flawless in her performance.” (Klaitt )

“Listening to this cautionary tale is as addictive as its topic.”
—AudioFile (Earphones Award winner) (Audiofile ) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; Reprint edition (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141694091X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416940913
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was adopted at birth and raised by a great, loving older couple. I grew up in Palm Springs CA, although we summered in Napa and Lake Tahoe, to avoid those 120 degree summers. After my adopted parents died, I did find my birth mother, who lives in Michigan with my half sister.

I studied journalism in college, but left school to marry, raise kids and start my own business--a video store, before the mega-chains were out there. After a divorce, I met my current husband and we moved to Tahoe to become ski bums and otherwise try to find our dreams. At that time, I went to work for a small alternative press, writing stories and eventually editing.

When we moved down the mountain to the Reno area, I started writing nonfiction books, many of which you can see here. The rest are viewable on my personal website. I also continued to freelance articles for newspapers and magazines.

All that has changed, with the publication of my novel, CRANK, which has led to a valued career writing YA novels in verse, all of which explore the more difficult situations young adults often find themselves in. Will I ever write one in prose? No doubt! But, for the moment, writing novels in verse fulfills two needs: writing poetry and writing fiction. The combination is so interesting!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, August 22, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass (Hardcover)

Ellen Hopkins has once again taken readers into the world of meth and the chaos it creates. GLASS is the sequel to her first novel about Kristina called Crank.

Just several months after giving birth to her son, Hunter, Kristina is drawn back to "the monster." She thinks a little snort could help her lose some weight and get her through the late-night feedings and day-to-day drudgery of constant baby needs. Surprised at how easy it is to score and how much the product has improved, it doesn't take long for Kristina to remember how great the stuff makes her feel.

For awhile the teen mom is able to take care of Hunter, hold down a low paying job, and keep herself cranked just enough to pretend her life isn't all that bad. Despite what Kristina may think, her mother and stepfather, Scott, are not really fooled into thinking all is well. They give her just enough space to eventually crash and burn. After falling asleep and putting the baby in danger, Kristina's mother throws her out of the house. She says she'll take care of Hunter, and Kristina should take care of herself.

Like most addicts, Kristina fools herself into believing she can have it all. She manages to keep her job and find a place to live with the cousin of her latest love interest. Once again her life is filled with drugs, sex, and whatever she has to do to survive. At times there is hope of reconnecting with family, but each time Kristina can't cope with their expectations and ends up with less and less of their love and support.

For readers who followed Kristina's painful journey in Crank, this next book will illustrate the power of meth to completely change and destroy a life and the lives of anyone connected with the addict. Hopkins speaks from personal experience, which creates a powerful, heart-wrenching, and all too real quality to her verse. As they say, it's a life you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT sequel to a GREAT book, June 21, 2009

By 

vetgirl (Peoria, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass (Paperback)

Once again, crank in back in poor Kristina's life.

*SPOLIER ALERT* After having Hunter, her baby boy, she gets a job at a 7-11 with a creep boss and strange co-workers. To lose her after-baby weight, she goes back to crank, meth, the monster. Her mother realizes she is back on that track, and kicks her out of the house and takes Hunter. Depressed and alone, she goes to get some meth from her old friend Robyn. While there, she meets a guy she takes much interest in, Trey. She gets a living space with Trey's cousin Brad, a single father who's wife left him. She takes care of the kids and gets meth perks. While waiting for Trey to come visit every once in a while, she has sex with Brad a few times. Once Trey catches her, but he says its okay because he's been having sex w/ others too. He claims it's just sex, not love. They promise to no longer sleep around. However, Brad's ex comes back and Kristina must move out. She moves in an apartments w/ Trey, and tries to take Hunter from her mother. When she realizes she's an unfit parent, her mother takes full custody of the baby and Kristina is left with Trey. Trey and Kristina get engaged, and decide to go on the road. While driving, a cop pulls them over and catches them w/ meth. The story ends w/ Kristina and Trey in jail. *SPOILER END*

The book obviously leaves room for a third, which I dearly hope comes.

*parental review*
bad language - 5- f-words, a, d, s and others. But not too often.
sexual content - 5 - kristina has sex with trey & brad. trey is sleeping around with other people.
violence - 2 - trey yells and gets very angry sometimes, there are some parts of cutting
adult content - 6 - sex, cheating, drugs, prison, getting arrested, getting kicked out of the house

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not really so great, September 24, 2007

By 

T. D. "A teacher and reader." (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass (Hardcover)

It is clear that Ms. Hopkins has found an audience who loves and admires her story telling. With no slight to them, this just isn't all that good a book. It isn't up to par with "Burned" or "Impulse" and on its own, "Glass" is a pain. I slogged through it because it will be so popular with students at the high school where I teach that I needed to be familiar with it. I'm not certain it is anything more than a 680 page "Crank" re-tread. It takes us along with Kristina as she descends into hell, a journey that yields no revelations, no insights, just banal depravity. I do hope that fans of Hopkins will seek out other books that offer richer feasts.