Glass - 02

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by Ellen Hopkins


  The only other thing we’ll

  share for quite a while is our

  fate. Already indexed

  in that mostly unwritten

  book is extradition.

  Nevada wants us also.

  Serious charges there, too.

  No longer will Trey and I share

  an apartment, a car, a bed. Won’t

  share a pipe. A cigarette. A kiss.

  Won’t share promises.

  Dreams.

  Vows.

  We will, however, share one

  very special thing, in the not-

  too-distant future. A baby. All

  that poking, prodding, and analysis,

  in search of AIDS or Hep C, netted

  that information. Guess it’s too

  late to make that appointment

  with Planned Parenthood.

  I only hope I’m out of jail

  before that big day comes.

  One Option

  Can shorten my stay.

  It’s not only distasteful

  but dangerous. Maybe

  even life-threatening.

  My public defender,

  a rat-faced little man

  with a squeaky voice,

  brings me the offer.

  The Feds want to disrupt

  the flow of Mexican meth

  into the continental U.S. If

  you’ll turn state’s evidence…

  I don’t really hear all

  the details, through

  the whir in my brain.

  But the message comes

  across loud and clear:

  Turn in Cesar, pull

  a lot less time. Some

  thing to think about.

  We will have to convince

  courts in two states that

  your cooperation will

  benefit society at large.

  Now, there’s something

  to put down on a future

  résumé. Right after

  “felony convictions.”

  Back in Nevada

  Behind home-state bars,

  I have a ton to think about

  while awaiting sentencing.

  Hopefully,

  the Feds won’t rescind their

  offer. I’ll only have to spend

  six months in jail. Not so long.

  Hopefully,

  they will arrest Cesar, put him

  away for much longer than that.

  I’ll have to testify against him,

  but I won’t have to pay him.

  Hopefully,

  his people will tuck tail, sprint

  back across the border. If not,

  they shouldn’t be able

  to get me in here.

  Hopefully

  the Department of Corrections

  can safeguard me—and those

  I love—against La Eme–style

  retribution.

  Hopefully,

  Trey and I will hook up again

  after we get out. Hook up and

  raise our baby together,

  or at least share the parenting.

  Hopefully,

  he’ll write me. If not, Quade

  has promised to. And I believe

  him. You’re a complete mess,

  he said. So why do I love you?

  Hopefully,

  one day I’ll be worthy of his

  love. Anyone’s love. Trey’s.

  Our baby’s. Hunter’s. Mom’s.

  Hopefully,

  she can forgive me for

  betraying her trust. She knows

  about everything. She saw the bank

  photo too. Turned me in.

  Hopefully,

  my dance with the monster hasn’t

  caused irreparable harm to me,

  or to my just-forming baby.

  Hopefully,

  it will be a girl, a beautiful

  perfect daughter, with hair

  like Trey’s, eyes like mine.

  Hopefully,

  I will love every hour of being

  her mother, even late-night

  feedings, diaper changings,

  the whole experience.

  Hopefully,

  most hopefully of all, by

  the time I get out of here,

  the monster will be nothing

  more than a distant memory.

  An unforgettable nightmare.

  Yeah, Yeah

  I realize that’s an awful

  lot of hoping. But hey,

  I’ve always been

  an optimist…

  …don’t ask me why.

  author’s note

  This book continues the story begun in my first novel, Crank. Both books, while fiction, are loosely based on the very real story of my daughter’s walk with “the monster” drug crystal meth. Our family is healing, but will always wear the scars of the monster. I hope that by opening our windows and letting you peek inside, you will gain some insight about the nature of addiction.

  about the author

  Ellen Hopkins has been called “the bestselling living poet in the country” by mediabistro.com. Her first book, Crank, was a New York Times bestseller, and her most recent bestselling book, Identical, was praised as “sharp and stunning . . . brilliant” in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada. Be sure to check out Ellen Hopkins online at ellenhopkins.com and myspace.com/ellenhopkins.

  A Reading Group Guide to Glass by Ellen Hopkins

  PREREADING ACTIVITY

  Ask students one of the following: 1) What do you know about the drug meth? 2) Why might a seemingly "perfect" teen turn to meth? 3) To what extent would you be willing to support an immediate family member who is addicted to meth?

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  In the opening of Glass, Hopkins reminds the reader of Kristina Snow's fall "into the lair of the monster," a metaphor for meth. How is the word monster an appropriate metaphor for meth?

  Kristina's alter ego, Bree, takes over when she is high on meth. What does Kristina mean when she says she made a "conscious decision" to turn into Bree?

  Kristina meets Trey, a user and drug dealer, and falls head over heels for him. A year previously she had fallen for Adam, who introduced her to meth. After their relationship, why does Kristina fall for Trey, another drug dealer? What characteristics does he have that draw her in? Why does she maintain this relationship even though she knows Trey has other girlfriends?

  Kristina knows that she should resist the monster. Why do you think she lacks the strength? Why might recovering addicts believe they can use again but control their drug habit?

  Chase, a boyfriend from Crank, has a minor role in this novel. When Kristina encounters him, she is somewhat tentative. What feelings does she have for him? Why do you think Hopkins develops the scene in which Kristina encounters Chase with his new wife?

  Kristina's mother and stepfather want Kristina to heal. Why does Kristina journey down the wrong path again? What emotions exist between Kristina and her mother? Between her stepfather and Kristina?

  Would you describe the way Kristina feels as "empty"? Explain. How much power do Kristina's parents have to help her? Could they have done anything to prevent her from spiraling downward again? If so, what?

  Kristina became hooked on meth when visiting her biological father, a meth user. When her father pays a visit on her birthday, Kristina shares her own stash with him. Describe their relationship. In what ways is her relationship with her father similar to her relationship with her mother? How is it different?

  Does Trey genuinely care for Kristina? Does Brad? Cite scenes to support your response.

  Does Kristina feel parental attachment to Hunter in the beginning of the story? Explain. Do her feelings toward him change throughout the story? If so, in what way?

  Does Kristina grow throughout the story? Why or why not? Cite passages to support your tho
ughts.

  Kristina's mother "throws her out" and/or refuses to see her while she is addicted. Does her mother take appropriate steps by turning her away?

  Glass contains numerous shape poems. Identify two shape poems and explain the meaning of these forms. What effect do they have on the overall story? Why do you think Hopkins chose these shapes?

  Glass begs for another follow-up in the series. What might happen to Kristina now that she and Trey have been busted? Will she distance herself from Trey or will they continue their relationship? Will she rejoin her family and resist the monster?

  ACTIVITIES

  Organize a drug awareness campaign in your school and/or community. You may develop brochures outlining the dangers of meth and invite a guest speaker (ex., adolescent therapist) to your school, church/synagogue, etc., to speak to your peers.

  Re-examine the shape poetry found in Glass. Write your own poem in a shape that suits the poem's theme. You may create a Shape Poetry Collection that when read together convenes a theme or short story.

  Research meth and its effects on the body. Develop a blog or wiki on the dangers of meth and include information about where teens can go for help. Share the site with others in your school.

  Kristina is the "perfect" girl. She is pretty, smart, and lives a comfortable lifestyle with her family. Why might someone who seemingly has everything turn to drugs? Read nonfiction accounts of teens who turn to meth. Develop a presentation that outlines common reasons teens turn toward drugs.

  Volunteer to work for an organization that supports high-risk children such as a Big Brother or Big Sister.

  Read a follow-up fiction novel that addresses drug addiction (ex., Candy by Kevin Brooks or St. Iggy by K. L. Going). Compare and contrast the stories. What characteristics do the drug addicts share? How are they different?

  Glass guide written by Pam B. Cole, Professor of English Education & Literacy, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA.

  Don’t miss

  Ellen Hopkins’s

  Fallout

  We Hear

  That life was good

  before she

  met

  the monster,

  but those page-flips

  went down before

  our collective

  cognition. Kristina

  wrote

  that chapter of her

  history before we

  were even whispers

  in her womb.

  The monster shaped

  our

  lives, without our ever

  touching it. Read on

  if you dare. This

  memoir

  isn’t pretty.

  Hunter Seth Haskins

  So You Want to Know

  All about her. Who

  she

  really is. (Was?) Why

  she swerved off

  the high road. Hard

  left

  to nowhere,

  recklessly

  indifferent to

  me,

  Hunter Seth Haskins,

  her firstborn

  son. I’ve been

  choking

  that down for

  seventeen years.

  Why did she go

  on

  her mindless way,

  leaving me spinning

  in a whirlwind of

  her dust?

  If You Don’t Know

  Her story, I’ll try

  my best to enlighten

  you, though I’m not sure

  of every word of it myself.

  I suppose I should know

  more. I mean, it has been

  recorded for eternity—

  a bestselling fictionalization,

  so the world wouldn’t see

  precisely who we are—

  my mixed-up, messed-

  up family, a convoluted

  collection of mostly regular

  people, somehow strengthened

  by indissoluble love, despite

  an ever-present undercurrent

  of pain. The saga started here:

  Foreword

  Kristina Georgia Snow

  gave me life in her seventeenth

  year. She’s my mother,

  but never bothered to be

  my mom. That job fell

  to her mother, my grandmother,

  Marie, whose unfailing love

  made her Mom even before

  she and Dad (Kristina’s stepfather,

  Scott) adopted me. That was

  really your decision, Mom claims.

  You were three when you started

  calling us Mama and Papa.

  The other kids in your playgroup

  had them. You wanted them too.

  We became an official

  legal family when I was four.

  My memory of that day is hazy

  at best, but if I reach way,

  way back, I can almost see

  the lady judge, perched

  like an eagle, way high above

  little me. I think she was

  sniffing. Crying, maybe?

  Her voice was gentle. I want

  to thank you, Mr. and Mrs.

  Haskins, for loving this child

  as he deserves to be loved.

  Please accept this small gift,

  which represents that love.

  I don’t really remember all

  those words, but Mom repeats

  them sometimes, usually

  when she stares at the crystal

  heart, catching morning sun

  through the kitchen window.

  That part of Kristina’s story

  always makes Mom sad.

  Here’s a little more of the tale.

  Chapter One

  It started with a court-ordered

  summer visit to Kristina’s

  druggie dad. Genetically,

  that makes him my grandfather,

  not that he takes much interest

  in the role. Supposedly he stopped

  by once or twice when I was still

  bopping around in diapers.

  Mom says he wandered in late

  to my baptism, dragging

  Kristina along, both of them

  wearing the stench of monster

  sweat. Monster, meaning crystal

  meth. They’d been up all night,

  catching a monstrous buzz.

  It wasn’t the first time

  they’d partied together. That

  was in Albuquerque, where dear

  old Gramps lives, and where

  Kristina met the guy who popped

  her just-say-no-to-drugs cherry.

  Our lives were never the same

  again, Mom often says. That

  was the beginning of six years

  of hell. I’m not sure how we all

  survived it. Thank God you were

  born safe and sound. . . .

  All my fingers, toes, and a fully

  functional brain. Yadda, yadda . . .

  Well, I am glad about the brain.

  Except when Mom gives me

  the old, What is up with you?

  You’re a brilliant kid. Why do

  you refuse to perform like one?

  A C-plus in English? If you would

  just apply yourself . . .

  Yeah, yeah. Heard it before.

  Apply myself? To what?

  And what the hell for?

  I Kind of Enjoy

  My underachiever status.

  I’ve found the harder you

  work, the more people expect

  of you. I’d much rather fly

  way low under the radar.

  That was one of Kristina’s

  biggest mistakes, I think—

  insisting on being right-up-

  in-your-face irresponsible.

  Anyway, your first couple years

  of college are supposed to be


  about having fun, not about

  deciding what you want to do

  with the rest of your life. Plenty

  of time for all that whenever.

  I decided on UNR—University

  of Nevada, Reno—not so much

  because it was always a goal,

  but because Mom and Dad

  did this prepaid tuition thing,

  and I never had Ivy League

  ambitions or the need to venture

  too far from home. School is school.

  I’ll get my BA in communications,

  then figure out what to do with it.

  I’ve got a part-time radio gig at

  the X, an allowance for incidentals,

  and I live at home. What more

  could a guy need? Especially

  when he’s got a girl like Nikki.

  Picture the Ideal Girl

  And you’ve got Nikki.

  She’s sweet. Smart. Cute. Oh,

  yes, and then there’s her body.

  I’m not sure what perfect

  measurements are, but

 

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