Ellen Hopkins

1955, United States — present

Ellen Hopkins is an American author best known for her young adult novels written in verse, including Crank, Glass, and Identical. Her work focuses on difficult, often controversial themes such as drug addiction, abuse, and mental health. Crank was inspired by her daughter's struggle with methamphetamine addiction, which explains Hopkins' direct and unfiltered style — she has stated that she wanted to "tell the truth in a way teens would actually hear." Her books have frequently been challenged or banned in schools and libraries in the United States due to explicit language and depictions of sex and drug use. Hopkins has consistently defended her work, arguing that shielding young readers from reality does more harm than good.