Book Review for Shelfari, April 23, 2009

The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell by John Crawford
Dear Book Club,
I just finished reading a two hundred and twenty page book entitled, The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell, a novel by John Crawford. It is a true story about a man named John Crawford who joined the National Guard to help pay for college. All he had to do was work one weekend per month and his college tuition would be free. However, newly married and two months short of finishing college, he was called to active duty and sent to the dirty rundown streets of Iraq. And one year of duty turned into the worst three years of his life.
John Crawford has many themes in the book: loyalty, survival and bravery. Loyalty is one of the main underlying themes which can be seen on every page, because no matter what rank you were every solider had to watch out for each other. Survival is demonstrated in every chapter. Every day John and his squad had to battle to survive from enemy ambushes, heat stroke, sickness and depression. During the book, after John loses one of his best friends in combat, he just about kills himself from depression. The negative mental affects of living in a state of war were just one more thing soldiers had to overcome to survive.
One of my favorite sections from the book is when John and his squad are watching a deserted chemical plant. Three men stood guard while the other three slept. However, the building was so big that three guys couldn’t effectively guard the whole area at once. John and two of his squad members had just got off guard duty and were trying to catch some “shut-eye”. There was a lot of wind that night, not to mention noise from helicopters and machine gun fire. They were all about to go to sleep when a big gust of wind came and one of the windows in the room shattered. Something small and round hit the ground and started rolling towards the soldiers. It was too dark to tell what it was but it was pretty clear to the men. The soldier sitting next to John yelled “GRANADE!!!!” and all three men dove for cover, hands overhead. After twenty seconds, and no explosion John got up to look at what ever it was. He poked it with his foot and then picked it up just to find a coke can that blew in the window when it broke.
John Crawford is an excellent writer. I have no complaints. You can almost feel the one hundred and twenty degree weather and smell the stagnant water in the street. Every chapter seemed to be more intense than the last. You got to know every one of his fellow soldiers as well as his enemies. You were able to see the good side and the bad side of things. His writing style made it very easy to read and made me not want to put down the book.
The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell is a great book. It is a very easy read as it is quite short, but it is one of the most intense books I have ever read. I was very disappointed when I finished it because it ended so soon. The writer nailed the plot, rising action, resolution and the climax. I did not find one problem with this book. This is one of my favorite books.

Zane Christenson (9th grade)


CRANK by Ellen Hopkins
Dear Book Club,
I read the book CRANK, by Ellen Hopkins. This book is about Kristina Georgia and how the drug crank (methamphetamine) changed her and her life. It all started when Kristina was sent to her father’s house in New Mexico. At her father’s house she meets Adam aka Buddy. Buddy introduces Kristina to the drug that would soon take over her life. Kristina called herself “Bree” to the new people she met. Bree was her alter-ego. Someone who was outgoing and carefree while Kristina was held back and shy. Bree fell in love with Buddy while she was in New Mexico, but eventually she had to go home back to Reno. They wrote letters but their love did not last. Bree found herself dating two guys, Brendan and Chase, in order to get her hands on crank. Chase and Kristina soon fell in love, but their love fell apart when Kristina was pregnant with Brendan’s baby and Chase left to college. During her pregnancy Bree has to face the facts that she can’t let crank control her anymore for her child’s sake.
I don’t have a favorite section of this book, but there are many dramatic parts including when Bree starts selling crank for the Mexican mafia. It’s crazy to think that an affluent fifteen year old girl can be selling drugs for a huge gang. Also, the first time Bree tries “The Monster” she does it with her slimy long absent dad. I can’t believe someone suffering from a major drug addiction could watch their daughter follow in their footsteps and do nothing about it.
I think that the main theme of Crank is that you shouldn’t take a drug that you know is bad for your body because you will become addicted to it and it will control your life and your morals. This book proves that point by showing how Kristina’s life starting spiraling downward the moment she let the monster, crank into her life. Kristina became addicted and the only thing that mattered to her was the rush crank gave her and how the drug affected her everyday decisions. Bree would do just about anything to get her hands on the drug.
I think that this book was very well written. It is written in journal entry –like poems (some poems, for instance, are written in two columns that can be read separately or together).The author uses extremely descriptive language with a lot of detail. This book shows how the main character Kristina, a strait A student that never gets in any trouble, develops into Bree, the exact opposite a fearless drug addict. There was not really much of a resolution to this story, so I am going to read the sequel to find out what happens to Kristina and her new baby.
I recommend this book to all teenagers. It’s a very depressing story but it is also realistic and very well written.

Tiffany Dunion (9th)