Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is the author of "Crank" and "Glass" among other works. These two bestselling books were written in the unusual style of verse fiction. They tell the story of "Kristina" a pseudonym for her real-light daughter who struggled for years with a meth addiction. The story also tells how crystal meth, which Ellen dubbed the "monster," nearly destroyed Ellen and her family as well.

When her daughter first became addicted to methamphetamine, Ellen went through a period of denial and disbelief - a natural reaction to such a tragic departure for one's child. At the time, Ellen was an unpublished writer and poet. After the full impact of Kristina's addiction began to dawn on Ellen, she fretted and worried about how she could help her daughter and if she could have done something to have prevented her daughter's life-changing choices.

A crossroads came when she and...