The Book Addict Reviews: Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Genre: Young Adult, Social Situations, Parents, Emotions & Feelings
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Borrowed this book from the library. 

In A Nutshell:
After reading Crank, I was hopeful that Kristina would get the help that she needed.  While I loved Ellen Hopkins poetry and style, I did struggle with some aspects of the story.  But I am hopeful that in the final installment many of my concerns will be addressed.

Review:
I always struggle with my emotions after reading Ellen Hopkins' books.  Her use of poetry to tell her story is unique and full of emotion.  Her writing is powerful and full of impact.  All of these things I love.  But the topics she covers in her stories are tough.  They are gritty.  They take a long hard look at the parts of society that tend to be ignored or glossed over.  All of these things make me very glad I read her books, but not really sure I will re-read them very often.

Glass continues the story of Kristina, who we met in Crank.  She has promised herself and her new son that she is done with the monster.  She will get her GED and continue the life she had before her trip to visit her father, or at least as much of that life as possible now.

But the call of the monster is too strong--and Kristina cannot resist it.  Slowly she gets in over her head and ends up losing everything; her family, her home, her freedom.

The entire time I was reading this book, I wished that someone had gotten Kristina professional help; particularly during the time when she had been dedicated to being a good mother.  It felt like her love for Hunter would have been enough enticement to encourage her to change her life.  Addiction is not something that a person can generally give up through willpower alone--and I feel like that is even more true for someone so young.  It almost felt too late by the time that Kristina's mother took a stand--and the stand of kicking her out without another option seemed a little counterproductive to me.  Why not offer to send her to rehab?  I agree that she probably would have said no--but then I would be upset with her.  Right now, I am angry with her mother!

I was hoping the Kristina/Bree break would be explore more in this book--particularly the hints that the split within Kristina started before she went to her fathers.  What prompted it?  Why can she not bring the two parts of herself together into one--and have a clearly defined sense of self. 

Recommendations:
I have the final book in this series on reserve--I am hoping that the final installment will address my concerns:

I have also ordered the supplemental book that I was looking forward to:

The Book Addict Reviews: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Genre: Young Adult, Social Situations, Social Issues, Emotions & Feelings
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Borrowed from the library.

In A Nutshell:
I loved this book.  I want to meet all of the people in the book, take a ride in the white van, and hear a live rendition of the Potato Song. 

Review:
Remy Starr has a song--a legacy left to her by her father whom she never met.  The father who left her mother and her brother to pursue his music career.  A father who did not come back once after she was born to meet her.  A father who promised in This Lullaby to let her down.

Understandably, Remy has some strong feelings about her father and her song.  These feelings, combined with the experience she has had with her mother's many marriages, have shaped her view of the world and her view of relationships.  Throughout the story, I found that I did not always agree with Remy and her view on situations but I respected her.  She was strong and determined.  She was not afraid to stand up for herself, her friends, her beliefs.  But I sometimes felt that she went out of her way to protect herself--to make sure that no one would have the opportunity to let her down again.

But as I think more about it--it is hard to say that definitively because of the masterful way Sarah Dessen handles character development.  As the story unfolds, we not only learn what is happening in the present but we also learn a lot about the character's past.  How did they get to be the person we meet in the book?  What events brought them to this place and to these relationships?  But the mastery comes from the fact that it never feels forced--the past intertwines naturally with the present, the characters develop right in front of readers.  They start to feel like they are our friends or our neighbors or at least I wanted Remy as a friend.

The only thing that I really could not buy into was the Potato Song--and that is part of why I put it down as something I really want to see live.  Could a band really write more than one song about potatoes?  Would a crowd really get excited about that?  I had a really hard time buying into that.

Recommendations:
I got myself another Sarah Dessen book for my birthday...and now I am sure it has moved to the top of my TBR pile:

The Book Addict Reviews: Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Genre: Young Adult, Emotions & Feelings
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 3 stars
Book picked up in Paperbackswap game.

In A Nutshell:
After finishing this book, I was speechless. The description on the back of Identical did little to prepare me for the emotionally raw story contained in the pages. This book is very well written and really draws the reader in, but the story itself is very troubling and hard to read. I am very glad that I read this book, but I do not think I could read it again.

Review:
After a terrible accident changes the Gardella family forever, every member finds a different way to cope.  While the outside world sees an All-American family with success, money, and beauty; the realty is for from the ideal.  Each member of the family is dealing with his/her own personal demons in very destructive ways, and neither parent has the time or inclination to help Kaeleigh and Raeanne handle their demons.  So instead of family dinners filled with conversations about school, work, and friends, this family hides from each other through their career, alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, and misguided love.


Ellen Hopkins creatively tells the story through verse and through the voices of different characters.  Some of her poems literally paint a picture with the words or highlight different aspects of the story in creative ways.  Through her poetry, Ellen Hopkins is also able to convey the emotions of her characters in a way that I have not seen in books written in prose.

Recommendations:
There are not many authors who write in a style similar to Ellen Hopkins, so if this book appeals to you I encourage you to look at her other books.