Glass by Ellen Hopkins

From Goodreads,

"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."

Goodreads - Glass

I read Ellen Hopkins' book Crank a while back.  After reading the book I went to a bookshop that sells used books and purchased all of the books I could find that were written by Hopkins.  The style is simple to read, and I definitely wanted to continue on the journey with Kristina to find out what happened to her.

Glass picks up right were Crank left off.  Kristina gives a brief refresher of what has happened in her life up to that that particular point.  As the book progresses we know that she has had the baby and that she is wanting to start using again.  The drug use spirals out of control as she moves from street crank to straight methamphetamine or glass.  She ends up with a new man in her life who is constantly using and dealing.  Soon Kristina is dragged back into the full lifestyle of glass by buying, selling, and using.  The book comes to an exciting climax when Kristina runs off with her boyfriend.

There are some books that have drug use that tackle the subject poorly.  All of the Anonymous books I have read so far, such as Lucy In The Sky or Go Ask Alice, seem to glamorize drug use.  The books by Hopkins are the first that I have read that really set it straight and share the highs and lows that are going to be experienced.  I think that this book was really better than the first one because it talked a lot about the signs and symptoms of drug use.  There was a specific point in the book when Kristina's mom pulled her aside and told her to stop using or to never come back.  She told Kristina that she knew what she was doing and she looked awful.  Kristina took a long look in the mirror and recognized that she had sores on her face and that her hair had lost all of its shine and color.  Kristina also talked about having the highs and the lows because of the drugs and that it made her feel lonely because she had lost everyone or they just didn't care.  I think that this book really characterized what drug use is like.  It's not all fun times and feeling good.  It honestly showed the downsides of using.  I think teenagers and adults alike need to be able to recognize drug use.  I love that Hopkins put the symptoms and appearances that a user will be exhibiting.  It could honestly save a life because someone knows what that looks like and can identify someone who is using.

This book was so unbearably long.  I understand that it is in poetry/prose format and it takes up more pages, but this book made me want to gouge my eyes out.  A problem with it being so long was that the book seemed so slow.  It got a little exciting at the beginning when Kristina started using again, but it hit a wall until Kristina ran away with her boyfriend.  Of course at the time of her running away there were about 20 pages left.  It just felt like the book dragged on for 500 pages.  I wish there had been more exciting events that happened throughout the book.  I think I would have enjoyed this more if there had been something big happen every 100-150 pages.

Overall, this book was a great sequel to the first book.  I would recommend that teens and adults alike read this.  It of course has some profanity in it, and there's obvious drug use.  I give this 4 stars.