Ellen Hopkins is a 69-year-old novelist who has published many New York Times bestselling novels. She was born on March 26, 1955, in Long Beach, CA, and started her writing career in 1990. On September 25th, she visited Lafayette High School to discuss her books. She has written many novels, some notable titles being “Crank”, ”Burned”, “Impulse”, “Glass”, and “Identical”.
Ellen Hopkins’s first book was “Crank”. This book was written from the point of view of her daughter, a teen at the time. Writing this book from a teen’s point of view helped her gain empathy and respect for this generation. During her presentation, she mentioned, “It’s not that I want to write for them. It’s that I have to write for them.” When Hopkins started writing “Crank”, she wasn’t even writing novels. She was a non-fiction writer. The novel Crank was young adult literature. Hopkins wrote other books based on teenage issues like psychological problems, prostitution, drug addiction, and so many other issues that trouble the younger generation. She also has a new novel that she read an excerpt of to a group of students at Lafayette High School, called “Sync”. This book is about foster care through a teenager’s eyes. These stories made her realize it was bigger than her family or daughter. It would reach and touch so many lives.
Writing these books made Hopkins understand more about her family and her daughter’s decisions. While writing, Hopkin tries to get in the head of her characters and have the readers walk through their experiences with them. Hopkins says that the message she wants the readers to get is that no matter what they are experiencing, they are not alone in those issues, such as things like addiction, depression, the feeling of self-harm, or even suicide. She wants her readers to understand that there is hope and light in the dark places of their lives and that the future is theirs to shape.
Ellen’s hope for these books is that they can help people realize that even with the things that have happened in their past, there is still hope to turn their future around and make a better life for them and the people around them. Hopkins mentioned that talking to teens and hearing their stories helps her connect with the characters in her stories, making them more accurate and personal. It also helps her understand where teens come from and their mindsets. Ellen has always had a love for books, and that is what inspired her to become a writer. Her motto is to always reach for the light.
Ellen Hopkins’s love for writing and personal life experiences have helped her write the amazing books people worldwide have learned to love. Her books talk about the real-world experiences and struggles of being a teenager. These books are not only meant for struggling teenagers but also for adults. These books can help people realize a lot about this generation. Her writing can help parents better understand their teenagers and also help other teenagers understand what others can be going through, not just the ones who are struggling.
