Argument Essay Final ~ Crank

Should Crank Be Banned In Classroom And School Libraries?

     Reading is something that we are taught to do at a young age. Some of us read everyday, but do we all consider the harmful effects inside of these books? Books like Crank, by Ellen Hopkins is a book that I've recently finished reading, that's basically, sex and drugs. The sexual content in this book was disturbing to many readers such as myself and a few of my peers. The main character Kristina doesn't realize what sex and drugs are doing to her. She has transformed into a whole new person, Bree. Bree is her dark and odd side.Bree is the side of her that acts out and acts like a totally different person. Maybe her reason for doing things like this is because she is mad at the world because her mom and dad aren't together. It could be because she's angry that her dad hasn't made an effort to see her in 8 years and when he finally gets to, it's not what she wanted. Even though some may disagree, Crank should be banned in middle school classrooms and school libraries because the content inside the book is very inappropriate for a variety of the young teen population.
In Crank, the main character becomes interested in drugs and sex, which lead to so much more than expected. When going to live with her father for a few weeks for the first time in forever,  she learns from his ways. He comes home high the majority of the time and uses terms like, “Never been laid? Tell the truth little girl,” (Hopkins 24) In a way to possibly "get to know his daughter." He says things in reference to considering having sex with his boss to lay him off the hook for not doing his job: “Think I could convince her to try a line? I'd love to get her in bed” (Hopkins 104). What type of dad talks to their daughter about stuff like that? Then soon after, she meets Adam and they do things together. They have sex a few times even when she doesn't want to. She realizes that most of her choices are stupid because the chapter title is, “So of Course I Did A Really Stupid Thing” (Hopkins 161). She takes the crank, an addictive form of Crystal Meth, from Adam and gets high, and soon after they have sex, which in my point of view seemed a bit forced, considering the fact that her menstrual cycle had begun unexpectedly. No teen at all needs to experience something like that. The more she does things like this, the more it seems okay to do, and it's obviously not, but a reader who is easily influenced would do the same as her.
After awhile, the drug use and sex were less frequent, but it soon appeared again when she met two guys back at home with her mom. Their names were Brenden and Chase. She was trying to see how many guys she could interest herself in, meaning how many would have a mutual feeling towards her because of the way she presented herself. At first she was playing them. Simply messing around with their minds and being faster than she needed to be, when to her it was all just a joke. She started talking about having sex with Brendan. He took her seriously, but when they finally got together, she refused and he raped her even though her menstrual cycle had came yet again, which made him even more furious. He thought she was lying to get out of what she started. And then after that, he made her pay $250 worth all the drugs she got from him for free. That shows how addicted she was to it. No teen should ever have to experience being raped and used. The worst part of it all is that Brendan got her pregnant, but of course has no intention of caring for this child. It was hard enough to read the book, but even worse to see Kristina suffer even though she put all this stress on herself. 
If you disagree with the fact that this book should be banned, then most likely you're considering the fact that books like Crank can show readers the negative affects of drugs, having sex at a young age and this may prevent them from advancing themselves in these activities. The problem with that is that no student in middle school and elementary school should read about the reaction of drugs and what happens when you have sex at an age like Kristina, even if she is 17. If you're looking for a book to teach a lesson, then you should look for a book that focuses on the negative affects of drugs and not a character who continuously gets into trouble and walks around like a fool because of drugs, sex, and relationships in general. Kristina already knows her choices are stupid, but she continues to do them anyway. Thats a negative influence, and as stated before, a young teen who is easily influenced would most likely make the same choices as Kristina. They may not even realize the wrong in their choices, because they're not focused on that. I myself was disturbed a few times reading different parts of this book to the point where I couldn't even read it. In an article by Tanith Carey, “Sick Lit,” she states, “Most are liberally peppered with sex and swearing,” referring to books. That's all you read throughout this book along with drug use. There are a few scenes without these things but they just lead to the same topic consistently. The content in this book just isn't appropriate for the younger teen population. 
In the end, many people get influenced just by what they see on the street. So imagine how many people get influenced from the books they read on a daily basis... So imagine someone close to you telling you that they've developed an interest in alcohol and drugs. Imagine that the reason was because they read it in a book and they thought it was cool. I mean you could talk them out of it, like Chase, Kristina's new boyfriend tried to do with her, but what if that doesn't work? It obviously didn't help Kristina even after she had the baby by Brenden. She said it herself, “ Crank is more than just drug. It's a way of life. You can turn your back. But you can never walk away. The monster will forever speak to me,”(Hopkins 537). She's obviously tried and had the intention of quitting, for the sake of her child and the sake of being sane, but it never really happened. It didn't work for Kristina, so would it work for that person who is close to you? Would it work for a young teen?