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hopes that she would find a better man who deserves her. On one of their “dates”, Misty’s boyfriend, Chris, finds them almost naked with their client. He is expressed as being very angry with Misty, and he attacks them, putting them in the hospital. Cody wakes up occasionally there, and Misty and their client are revealed to be dead. Cody hears voices while he is partially conscious. He hears his mother speaking to him, comforting him, and begging him not to leave her.
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162:, released in August 2009. It tells the converging narratives of five troubled teenage protagonists. It is noted for its gritty realism in addressing issues of sexual activity and drug use for a young adult readership. It has been banned in some places due to its references to drug use, sexual themes and language.
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night, she takes an overdose and ends up in the hospital with her family around her. Her mother cries for her and says that she wants them to have a better relationship now, and that she does care about her. Whitney’s father is angry, and her sister is said to be angry that
Whitney stole all of the attention.
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was reported as the #1 most banned book in the 2022-2023 year, having been banned from libraries and classrooms in 11 states. The book has been ranked 98th most banned book for the 2010-2019 decade. As of 2024, the book has been banned at schools in Texas, Utah, Virginia, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania,
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The fourth character, Whitney Lang, lives with her mother, while her father works and lives in another city nearby and her sister, Kyra, attends college. Whitney is disconnected with her mother and likes when her dad is home since she sees him as her hero. Whitney hooks up with Lucas at one of Kyra’s
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Ginger’s brother, Sandy, is run over by a motorcycle, and Gram goes with him to the hospital. Ginger is raped again by one of her mother’s boyfriends, and she finds out that Iris is charging them to have sex with her. She takes her mother’s money and leaves with her friend, Alex, and they go to stay
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Lydia sets up Alex and Ginger in the stripping business, and that becomes how they get money and a place to stay. Sex becomes less about love and more about surviving. They get arrested because they were discovered by Vegas Vice, and they are sent to a place that was supposed to help them get their
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Eden manages to escape with the help of Jerome and decides to ditch him at a gas station. She succeeds, and gets rides from truck drivers to Vegas. She uses sex for money and means of survival until she finds a place that helps young people in similar situations. She finds Andrew’s mother’s e-mail,
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Eden’s parents find out about her relationship with Andrew, and assume that she is being controlled by the devil, and so she is sent to Tears of Zion. There, she is kept in captivity and forced to do work that would supposedly rid her of evil. She starts giving a worker named Jerome sex in exchange
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The first character, Eden Streit, lives with her father, mother, and younger sister, Eve. Being a daughter of a minister also comes with expectations, such as not having sex until marriage and marrying men within the
Christian faith. But for Eden, that doesn’t matter with Andrew, her boyfriend. Her
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Karin's Book Nook complimented the author's work in the novel by saying "Ellen
Hopkins, once again, comes through for her readers with this spellbinding novel-in-verse." Additionally, Kirkus adds that "Hopkins's pithy free verse reveals shards of emotion and quick glimpses of physical details. It
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Bryn is revealed to have acted a certain way to get
Whitney to fall in love with him. He cheats on Whitney, forces her to record their sex and have sex with other people, and gets her addicted to drugs. Toward the end of the book, the author seems to make Whitney to be losing more of herself. One
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praised Tricks as " graphic, intense tale that will speak to mature teens." Karin's Book Nook said, "Ellen
Hopkins utilizes her trademark realistic voice; there isn't any sugar-coating of the subject matter here to weave the story of five total strangers to form a heartbreaking look at what some
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Cody gets into business with Lydia, partnering up with Misty occasionally in having sex with men. He does not believe himself to be gay, but he is described as feeling that he has to do anything to get money and support the rest of his family. His relationship with Ronnie becomes distant, and he
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life back together. Ginger calls Gram and finds out that Iris is dying from an STD. She decides to go back home and take care of her siblings, while Alex stays; she is revealed to be pregnant, and she says that she will be a better mother to her child than Ginger or Alex’s mothers were to them.
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The treatment of controversial topics, such as drug use, sexual abuse, and suicide, has led to intense discussions and questions in the United States regarding the depiction of these subjects in youth and educational literature. The engagement with these topics contributes to the book being
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The second character, Seth
Parnell, lives with his father after his mother died from cancer a year and a half earlier. Seth struggles with identifying his sexuality after he breaks up with his girlfriend, Janet Winkler. He meets Loren and is catapulted into a new kind of relationship.
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commented that "ach story is unique (one teen needs money, another was thrown out because of his sexuality, still another was simply looking for love from the wrong person); while readers may connect with some characters more than others, they will long remember each painful story."
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appreciated by readers. At the same time, this open handling of sensitive content has repeatedly led to objections and censorship since its publication, such as removal from school libraries and curricula. As a result the book got banned repeatedly since 2009.
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The fifth character, Ginger
Cordell, encounters rape from an early childhood and deals with keeping these secrets from her family. Ginger’s only friend is Alex, and she has begun questioning how she feels about her.
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Loren moves away and leaves Seth, and Seth’s dad finds out he is gay, so he kicks him out of the house. He goes to live with Carl, an older man he met at a bar, and moves with him to Vegas as his companion.
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Seth becomes attracted to Jared, a man he meets in the gym, and they have sex. Carl reveals that he had paid Jared to act as bait, and kicks Seth out. Seth goes online and looks for a new man to stay with.
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Lucas leaves
Whitney by dumping her after taking her virginity, and she turns to Bryn for support. She gives herself to him, and leaves her family to move with him to Vegas for his photography business.
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Cody’s step-father, Jack, dies from cancer, and Cody takes on the responsibility of paying for bills. He gets deep into online gambling, drifting away from Ronnie, whom he believes he loves.
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The third character, Cody
Bennett, doesn’t know who his biological father is and spends his time with his step-father Jack. Jack hasn’t been feeling well, and Cody starts to drink.
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According to Ms. Hopkins herself, her books are typically banned due to their sexually explicit nature, spirituality, and inclusion of queer characters and characters of color.
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and sends her a message. Andrew’s mother replies, and Andrew sends a message shortly after. They both express relief that she is alive, and hope to see her again soon.
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is about "raphic sex, rape, drugs, bitter loneliness, despair - and eventually, blessedly, glimmers of hope."
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performances and they hit it off, but she still worries about committing to the relationship with him.
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doesn't matter that the first-person voices blur, because the stories are distinct and unmistakable."
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One reviewer explained that " shows the bad decisions teenagers make." Kirkus also added that
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was the 98th-most banned and challenged book in the United States between 2010 and 2019.
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for food, shampoo, and other treats. She hopes that Jerome can be the key to her escape.
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429:"Hopkins, Ellen. Tricks.(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)"
385:"Hopkins,Ellen:Tricks.(Young Adult review)(Brief article)(Book.review)".
522:"The 11 Most Banned Books of the Start of the 2022-2023 School Year"
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https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2019
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by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.
496:"Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019"
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580:https://www.zhive.community/p/tricks-ellen-hopkins
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531:2024-06-25
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343:References
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101:English
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