Glass (34 page)

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 thoughts.

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

Nikki’s got them,

all wrapped up in skin

like sun-warmed mocha silk.

Delicious, from lips to ankles,

and she’s mine. Mine to touch,

mine to hold. Mine to kiss

all over her flawless

deliciousness. Plus,

she’s got her own place,

a sweet little house near campus,

where I can do all that kissing—not

to mention what comes after

the kissing—in private.

I’m done with classes

for the day, and on my way

to Nikki’s, with a little extra fun

tucked inside my pocket. Yeah, I

know getting high isn’t so

smart. Ask me if I care.

Be sure to read

Ellen Hopkins’s

PERFECT

Perfect
is the story of four high school seniors, all of whom have friends, siblings, and a drive to attain “perfection.” They each have very different goals, and very different ways of achieving them. Meet Cara, whose parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother spiraling toward suicide; Kendra, a pageant girl who stops at nothing in her pursuit of runway modeling; Sean, who uses whatever means necessary to win a baseball scholarship; and Andre, whose real talent seems destined to languish. Just how far does someone have to go to be
perfect?

Cara Sierra Sykes

Perfect?

How

do you define a word without

concrete meaning? To each

his own, the saying goes, so

why

push to attain an ideal

state of being that no two

random people will agree is

where

you want to be? Faultless.

Finished. Incomparable. People

can never be these, and anyway

when

did creating a flawless facade

become a more vital goal

than learning to love the person

who

lives inside your skin?

The outside belongs to others.

Only you should decide for you—

what

is perfect.

Perfection

I’ve lived with the pretense

of perfection for seventeen

years. Give my room a cursory

inspection, you’d think I have OCD.

But it’s only habit and not

obsession that keeps it all orderly.