Gantos, Jack. A Hole in My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Girox. 2002. ISBN 0374399883
AWARDS:
American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults
American Library Association Notable Children's Books
American Library Association Popular Paperbacks for Young Readers
Michael L. Printz Award – Honor
Parents' Choice Award Winner
Booklist Editors' Choice
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Robert F. Sibert Award – Honor
SUMMARY: Jack Gantos writes about his life before, during, and after he unsuccessfully tries to smuggle hashish from the Virgin Islands to New York City in a boat. His amateur attempt at drug smuggling is both humorous and anguishing to read. He talks fondly about his early years with his family, his unusual life in the Virgin Islands, as well as his senior year spent on his own in Florida. He graduates and wants to go to college to become a writer, but he doesn’t seem to know what to write about, plus he has no money for college. He is a lover of literature, but he is adrift without purpose until he ends up in prison. He spends over a year in prison on his drug charge and finally has time to organize and put his thoughts on paper. He credits prison with starting his career as a writer. Mr. Gantos can be credited for taking a bad choice and turning it into a positive life changing experience.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Jack Gantos has written one of his best works with this memoir about his teen-age years. The story is well written, has an interesting plot, as well as a truly sympathetic character in Gantos. I was glad that he included his mug shot for the world to see, because students will see in the first few pages that this is for real. I felt that Gantos’ memory was honest and genuine, as he included his flaws as well as his strengths. Obviously he was smart and responsible, yet he was also broke, with raging acne, no clue about girls, and not thinking of what he was risking to make a quick buck. Gantos still didn’t realize how serious his offense was, until he realized he was going to prison. The one detail of the book I grew tired of, was his constant reference to any literature he happened to be reading at the time. It was interesting for a few chapters, but I didn’t think I needed to hear about every book that Gantos ever read. Students might enjoy learning about new literature to read, but as an adult, I thought it was too much.
High school students, especially boys, can identify completely with this character. I would recommend this to any high school student, because as interesting as it is, it has a great message. Through all his mistakes and disappointments, Gantos never gave up on himself. He knew he wanted to be a successful writer and if he could accomplish that with no money and a prison record, what average teenager can’t realize their dreams also. He also sends a message to all of us pessimistic adults: don’t give up on a teenager just because they make mistakes. They need our support. (Nilsen 2009)
REVIEWS:
Publishers Weekly Review:
“After penning a number of novels for preteens, including the Joey Pigza books and the Jack series, Gantos makes a smooth transition as he addresses an older audience. He uses the same bold honesty found in his fiction to offer a riveting autobiographical account of his teen years and the events may well penetrate the comfort zone of even the most complacent young adults. The memoir begins with the dramatic image of the author as a young convict ("When I look at my face in the photo I see nothing but the pocked mask I was hiding behind"). The book then goes on to provide an in-depth examination of the sensitive and intelligent boy residing behind a tough facade. Inspired by the words and lives of some of his favorite American authors, Gantos sought adventure after leaving high school. He eagerly agreed to help smuggle a shipment of hashish from Florida to New York without giving thought of the possible consequences. Knowing that the narrator is destined to land in jail keeps suspense at a high pitch, but this book's remarkable achievement is the multiple points of view that emerge, as experiences force a fledgling writer to continually revise his perspective of himself and the world around him. The book requires a commitment, as it rambles a bit at times, but it provides much food for thought and fuel for debate. It will leave readers emotionally exhausted and a little wiser. Ages 12-up.”
School Library Journal Review:
“Grade 8 Up-The compelling story of the author's final year in high school, his brushes with crime, and his subsequent incarceration. Gantos has written much about his early years with his eccentric family, and this more serious book picks up the tale as they moved to Puerto Rico during his junior year. He returned to Florida alone, living in a seedy motel while he finished high school and realized that his options for college weren't great. A failed drug deal cost him most of his savings and he joined his family, now in St. Croix, where he accepted an offer of $10,000 to help sail a boat full of hash to New York. He and his colleagues were caught, and as it turns out, he was in more trouble than he anticipated. Sent to federal prison for up to six years, Gantos landed a job in the hospital section, a post that protected him from his fellow inmates, yet allowed him to witness prison culture firsthand. Much of the action in this memoir-some of it quite raw and harsh-will be riveting to teen readers. However, the book's real strength lies in the window it gives into the mind of an adolescent without strong family support and living in the easy drug culture of the 1970s. Gantos looks for role models and guidance in the pages of the books he is reading, and his drive to be a writer and desire to go to college ultimately save him.”
RESOURCES:
Gantos, Jack. A Hole in My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Girox. 2002.
Nilsen and Donelson. Literature For Today’s Young Adults, 8th ed. Boston, MA : Pearson Education. 2009. p. 292.
Jack Gantos website.
Book Nuts Reading Club website.
Guys Read website.
Images by Google Images.
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