Glass

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Glass

By Ellen Hopkins

This book is the sequel to Crank which I read not that long ago. I still love that they are written in verse. The voice and the style are just amazingly well done to me. This book made me feel a little better in the sense that I think a YA reader would understand how crystal meth ruins the main character's life. I felt that the first one made the drug sound good in a way, and this one does, but the main character has so many issues she's dealing with that the drugs seem to make her life harder, whereas the first one was all about how great the drugs made her feel.

I was thinking today about how both books don't specifically clarify that doing drugs is bad, the reader has to decide that for him or herself. I think it's especially hard for readers because the main character is the one with all the problems and you should really be disgusted by her habits and her decisions but because she's the main character and the books are told from her perspective I think the reader connects with her so it's hard to hate her...and that means you also don't mind so much that she does drugs. I guess I would have a hard time recommending this to any teen without making sure they talked about it with an adult to make sure they get that doing drugs is so not cool.

I was appalled by the first book and even moreso by this book. As a mother, it breaks my heart to think of how she treats her child. It's horrible to think people are living her life and that it's really happening. I listened to both books and now I'm curious if the text versions have any kind of appendix or follow up or something that lists where kids can go to learn more about the bad impact drugs is having on society or where they can go if they need help or have a friend who needs help. Hmm, it would make me feel better if there was some kind of public service announcement at the back of these books...