Tricks (Tricks, #1) in Queereaders

Aug 26, 2009 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: child-abuse, addiction, hiv-aids, poetry, prostitution, gay, made-me-cry, kids-and-teens, library-books, favorites

Posted at Shelf Inflicted

When I went to pick this book up at the library, I was surprised at how small and fat it was. Great, just what I need…a 600+ page book and hardly enough time to read. When I opened up the book and glanced at the first few pages, I was delighted and shocked the margins were so wide and there were no more than seven words per line. Then I thought, “wait a minute, this is freakin’ poetry!” Since I read so little poetry and never developed an appreciation for it, I left the Posted at Shelf Inflicted

When I went to pick this book up at the library, I was surprised at how small and fat it was. Great, just what I need…a 600+ page book and hardly enough time to read. When I opened up the book and glanced at the first few pages, I was delighted and shocked the margins were so wide and there were no more than seven words per line. Then I thought, “wait a minute, this is freakin’ poetry!” Since I read so little poetry and never developed an appreciation for it, I left the library slightly disappointed. Well, Tricks isn’t exactly poetry, but a novel written in verse. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. Dishes were piling up, dust bunnies were fighting back, and I was late to work.

Tricks is a story about five deeply troubled teenagers, all from different areas, backgrounds, and family situations who end up falling into prostitution.

Each character has a story to tell. These stories are brief, and jump from one character to the next and back again. At the beginning, I was a little frustrated at how short their stories were and was afraid that I would not be able to distinguish one character from the next. It turns out there was no need to worry. Hopkins does a brilliant job of infusing her characters with life, personality and emotions. As I continued to read, and the characters’ situations became more harrowing, I found the stories very intense and was relieved there was some separation. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed the writing style. These stories told in verse allowed me to get into the minds and feelings of the characters without extraneous detail, and helped me feel a deeper connection with them.

Tricks broke my heart and made my stomach churn. The stories were gripping, painful, and honest. My own teenage years, painful memories, wrong choices, and difficulty with parents all came flooding back. I wish my own parents could have read a book like this, just to see how their own behavior and actions could irreparably damage a child’s life.
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Aug 16, 2009 Thomas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-stars, young-adult, realistic-fiction, poetry, lgbtq, own-physical, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Oh my god. So I got this book the first day it became available at the book store (yesterday), and I couldn't wait to read it. So I did. And it was AMAZING. Ellen Hopkins does it again in this beautifully written novel told in verse titled "Tricks". It is about five teenagers who each come from different backgrounds, some in the upper class, some in the lower class. Three girls, two boys. Four are straight, one is gay. But they all have one thing in common: they are all searching for acceptance, Oh my god. So I got this book the first day it became available at the book store (yesterday), and I couldn't wait to read it. So I did. And it was AMAZING. Ellen Hopkins does it again in this beautifully written novel told in verse titled "Tricks". It is about five teenagers who each come from different backgrounds, some in the upper class, some in the lower class. Three girls, two boys. Four are straight, one is gay. But they all have one thing in common: they are all searching for acceptance, love, freedom, and they will all do whatever it takes to survive, in the unrelenting cold, cold world they will each be a part of. By the way, the last paragraph of the review will contain *major* spoilers.

Eden Streit is an innocent girl. She really is. Her mother and father are both heavily religious folk, her dad being the lead priest of their local church, and her mom being the trophy wife that he's always proud to come home to. Eden and her sister Eve (get it?) are both obedient and never cause any trouble. But when a decent young man who is two years older than Eden, named Andrew, decides to come into Eden's life and sway her off her feet, her parents are not happy. In fact, they send Eden away so she can reform her sins. And Eden will do absolutely anything to get out of that horrible place. Anything.

Seth Parnell is an Indiana country farm boy. He lives with his father, and they are both living through a terrible loss. The loss of a wife, and a mother. Seth also has to deal with the fact that he's gay. So when Seth decides to act on his urges, he comes to face to face with a nice man named Loren. Everything seems good for a little bit, with Loren treating Seth out to musical theather and to eat at fancy dining, but good things never last. So when Seth is cast out on his own to survive, there is nothing much he can barter with... besides his body.

Whitney Lang is the epitome of popularity and beauty. Although she would probably be better off without her mom and sister, she still has her loving dad and caring boyfriend Lucas to come home to every day. But what happens when Whitney gives something away to Lucas, something precious that a girl must be careful with, and it turns out that Lucas dumps her because of it? Whitney makes a rash decision driven by teenage rebellion - a decision she will soon regret.

Ginger Cordell just might want to be a writer when she grows up. But it's hard to focus on that when she has to take care of her four brothers and sisters, escpecially when her mom is always out hooking up with strange men to pay the rent. She is sick of always being surrounded by the stench and disgusting feeling of sex, so she decides to run away with her friend. But this change of scenery will not be just any walk in the park.

Cody Bennett has a nice, civil family. He has a younger brother named Cory, a loving mom, and a stepfather named Jack. He pretty much is living the life. But when Jack suddenly passes away, his family is torn apart and sinks faster than the Titanic while hitting the iceberg. With his mom out of commision and a younger brother that gets sent to juvy, Cody has to find a way to pay the bills somehow, right?

Gahhh I loved this book. Seriously, it was just amazing... breathtaking. Hopkin's prose is beautiful, this book just made me want to read more even though at times I was absolutely disgusted. Like a car crash you can't look away from. Everything about this book, the characters, the plot, it was just so magnificent. *spoilers beyond here*

Eden's story was probably the "happiest one", I think she was the character that only got the happy ending. Seth's ending really sucked for me, he never even gets out of prostitution! That made me really sad and depressed. I really liked him. Whitney... she was okay, she had a nice ending too, although for most of the second half of the book she was too buzzed for me to really get deep into her character. I felt so bad for Ginger, and this may be a bad thing to say but Iris totally deserved to get HIV. I can't believe she would sell her own daughter's body! What kind of sick parent would do that to her own child!? And last but not least, Cody. I felt for him too, although it would've been nice to be able to see if he could resolve the issue about his sexuality.

FIVE STARS!!! ...more

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Jul 01, 2009 Jennifer Wardrip rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-by-other-reviewers, trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Eden, Ginger, Cody, Seth, and Whitney are teens whose life circumstances have taken them to an increasingly common yet horrible place. Simple survival is their motivation for selling sex for money.

Eden never thought about sex. Raised by a fire-and-brimstone father and mother meant hours in a church pew, not on dates and at parties. Meeting Andrew changed her life. He was just as innocent as she was, so the two learned about love tog Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Eden, Ginger, Cody, Seth, and Whitney are teens whose life circumstances have taken them to an increasingly common yet horrible place. Simple survival is their motivation for selling sex for money.

Eden never thought about sex. Raised by a fire-and-brimstone father and mother meant hours in a church pew, not on dates and at parties. Meeting Andrew changed her life. He was just as innocent as she was, so the two learned about love together. It was real and special until her parents found out. She was sent away to a terrible place, and she did what she had to in order to escape.

Ginger's life was always filled with sex. Her mother had six kids by five different guys, and her attempt to keep food on the table involved any man looking for what she was willing to sell. Thank goodness for a grandmother willing to take them in and do what she could to provide for them. Ginger vowed to be different, but when her mother began to use her for profit, it was time to leave. But making a change from what you've always known is not as easy as it seems.

Life for Cody and his brother, Cory, improved when their mother married Jack. Jack was great at filling the role of dad, and Cody appreciated it. Cory may have been rebelling, but Cody did his best to be a responsible son and step-son. Then cancer struck and Jack was gone. Things got crazy when there wasn't enough money. Gambling might provide the answer, but he needed a supply of cash to make money that way, forcing him in directions he knew were dangerous.

Seth and his dad survived the death of a mother and wife. Their simple Indiana farm life continued on without her; however, that simple life didn't welcome the fact that Seth had known for quite some time that he was gay. He actually lived two separate lives - the farm life his father assumed he would continue, and the new life he had found in Louisville. As long as he could keep the two lives separate, he could make everyone happy. When a letter caused the two to collide, Seth learned that his father could not accept the truth, so he was forced to leave. A man named Carl made an offer Seth couldn't refuse, but so often those offers don't last forever.

Whitney is popular and beautiful. She is used to having the things she wants but not always the attention she desires. Her doting father is gone a lot on business, which leaves her with a busy mother whose focus has always been on her older daughter. Hooking up with a popular guy gives Whitney a reason to carry on, but when that relationship ends, she is left with anger. That anger drives her in a rebellious direction that she will soon regret.

Ellen Hopkins takes her readers on yet another dangerous journey into lives that have gone wrong. The focus is on the increasingly current trend of teenagers forced into selling themselves to survive. Whether it is out-and-out prostitution or the thinly disguised "escort" services, more and more teens are involved in sex for money.

The five young people in TRICKS all have very different reasons for getting caught up in this destructive lifestyle, and Hopkins paints a stirring and vivid picture of each of their paths into this terrible world. TRICKS is hard-hitting and disturbingly direct as it details the downward spiral of five lives.

Fans of Ellen Hopkins are no doubt anxiously awaiting this new release. One word of caution from this reviewer is that this direct approach to a serious subject is best suited for older teens. ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Brandon Will rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-lit

The copy drives me crazy.

Why the need to put: "Four Straight. One Gay"? The book has many shades of real: a lesbian who was sexually abused and asexual and opening up to touch and in love with her girlfriend; there's the one gay guy I think the copy is referring to, farmboy turned kept boy; the other guy, he goes gay for pay, hates himself for loving it, worries he won't be good for his girlfriend anymore, so clearly bisexual, and erased, per usual--I mean, this book has lots of real great darin ...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Doug Beatty rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teen

This is a fantastic and moving novel. It follows the lives of five teens who all end up in the world of prostitution, one way or another.

Eden's parents are very strict and very religious. When she falls for a boy, this could lead to disaster.

Seth is a young man discovering that he is gay. But is becoming a trophy for an older man the way to get out of his hometown? He hooks up with a man named Carl who sweeps him off to Vegas. But the life in Vegas might not be all it is cracked up to be.

Whit ...more

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Mar 05, 2010 Dylan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-bookshelf, young-adult-fiction, favorites, realistic-fiction, books-read-in-2011, lgbtq-literature

Tricks is about 5 teens (2 boys, 3 girls) that all fall into prostitution through various circumstances.

Eden falls in love with a boy, and because of her religion, she is forced to go to the Tears of Zion: A commune for teens who have "demons" inside of them and are put through emotional torture by their parents.

Seth is gay, and because of this he puts an ad on the internet to see if anyone can help him experience what it means to be who he is. And a guy named Loren does this, however Loren ha ...more

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