While the entirety of Crank is not set in New Mexico, the first major section of the book is set in Albuquerque, and it’s the only book on the list that takes place at all in the Land of Enchantment. I decided that instead of going off script and taking up Death Comes for the Archbishop or Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, I’d give this book of connected poems a try. Let me tell you, as someone that was in Poetry Club in high school and took contemporary poetry writing as my arts course in college? This was certainly in my wheelhouse.
Crank was originally published in 2004, roughly a couple years before I’d start writing sestinas and haikus for fun. Crank is actually the first part of a trilogy detailing the life of Kristina, the narrator, but as I wasn’t certain if she returned to New Mexico in either, I decided to forgo reading the rest of the trilogy, but maybe one day for fun, I will. After all, not only is it poetry, it’s in line with all the books that really gripped me as a teenager: Laurie Halse Anderson, Patricia McCormick, Margaret Haddix. While a book of poetry may not lend itself well to the stage or screen (Not counting you, William Shakespeare!), Crank did win several awards for Young Adult literature in 2005 and 2006.
Library of 1000 Books 