Crank by Ellen Hopkins

              I recently finished reading the book Crank, by Ellen Hopkins. Crank the first of a three book series that starts with a teenager, and her addiction to crystal meth. The most unfortunate part about this book is that is it (loosely) based on a true story; Ellen Hopkins' daughter. The book starts out with almost no introduction of Kristina, the protagonist. Instead, it starts out with a court ordered visit for her to see her father for the summer, a drug addict living in New Mexico. Kristina's father's addiction to crystal meth was why he was divorced in the first place, and had seen each of his children about twice, in their entire lives (Kristina and her older sister Leigh). Before Kristina leaves for New Mexico she is a "gifted high school junior" with good friends, and a good chance at a happy healthy life. But that was before she met the "monster."

              In New Mexico she meet a guy by the name of Adam, he shows her the town, and what really happens at the bowling alley where her dad works. Kristina tries meth for the first time, and once she's tried it, she never went back.
         
               A few weeks later she is officially addicted, using all day every day, and when it is time to go back to Nevada, her home, she comes back skinny, shaky, and with a new nickname- Bree. Bree is Kristina when she is high, or doing something bad,  what she has all of her dealers, or boyfriends call her. But around her family, she is Kristina, someone who tries to act normal, until everyone figures it out.

              Personally, I am surprised that Kristina's mother didn't figure it out sooner that Kristina was an addict, mainly because she used to be a part of that scene as well, with Kristina's father, who wasn't exactly against her drug use, in fact, he supported it. I am also surprised that Kristina's mother didn't put her in rehab, or an AA group, instead, she kicked her out of the house. Reading this the second time, i see realize that her drug use wasn't her fault at all. It was her fathers, and Adam's, and all of her boyfriends for supplying her, and even her mother, for not getting her the help she desperately needed.
          

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff

Beautiful Boy

           I recently finished the book Beautiful Boy by David Sheff.  The book is about a father's journey through his son's addiction. His son is Nic Sheff, or Nicolas Sheff, the author of Tweak, a book about his experiences through his addiction. David Sheff goes through what no parent should ever go through, just  to try to keep his son safe.

           David Sheff and his family live in a house in California, he got divorced to Nic's mother Vicky when Nic was a little boy, and soon got remarried and had two other children, Jasper and Daisy Sheff. Besides the divorce, not many people would think he had a bad childhood. He wasn't mistreated, or abused, and he was loved very much by his family members. He was an honor student in school,  played sports and had friends. Perhaps not the best friends, at least in high school.

          Nic started smoking pot when he was in  the seventh grade, until his father found it in his backpack and ordered him to stop. Of course, there wouldn't be a book if he did stop. Nic didn't want to take any orders from his dad, especially in terms of drugs, as his father did drugs when he was in college. He regrets telling his son this, because Nic thought he was more like a hypocrite than a help.

        An assortment of drugs come into Nic's life, and soon he lives on the street, broke, breaking into his old home, stealing money, needles, and finding girlfriends or dealers who can give him even more meth, cocaine,  Xanax, and an assortment of other drugs.

         David sends his son to multiple rehabs, AA meetings and it takes years for Nic to finally get sober. And suffers and explosion in his brain in the process. Many can sympathize with David because many know it feels like to have something happen to a loved one that you can do nothing about.