One of Jack�s customers was a drug dealer who needed a crate with a false bottom to be used for smuggling hashish. He offered Jack ten thousand dollars to help sail a boatload of illegal drugs from the island to the mainland. Seeing this as his ticket off the island, Jack jumped at the chance. What he didn�t know at the time was that he was being �set up� and would be under surveillance by the authorities from the time he left the island. Hole in My Life tells of his experiences in prison, what he learned, and how he got his life back on track.
Jack Gantos bares all in this autobiographical sketch of a particularly painful part of his life. Excruciatingly honest, he seems to hold nothing back as he shows the horrors of prison life and the choices he made that landed him there. Unlike many autobiographies, nothing is glossed over here. He admits the character flaws that made him susceptible to the con game he was sucked into, and takes responsibility for his decisions.
Gantos uses narrative writing techniques effectively in telling his own story. He plays the role of an anti-hero, whose fate is uncertain, at best. By making the right choices, and determining to change the course of his life, he embarks on a heroic quest which ultimately is successful. At the end of his quest, he achieves maturity, takes control of his destiny, and realizes his dreams.
The author effectively uses fiction writing techniques to recreate the setting for his reader, and describes his experiences in heart-breaking detail. The feelings of hopelessness, the savagery of the attacks prisoners suffered at the hands of fellow inmates, and the struggle for survival are easily internalized by the reader. The inevitability of his capture does nothing to diminish the suspense which propels the story up to the point of his surrendering to authorities. �Gantos' spare narrative style and straightforward revelation of the truth have, together, a cumulative power that will capture not only a reader's attention but also empathy and imagination.� (Booklist, April 1, 2002)
Jack Gantos gives readers a candid glimpse at one phase of his life that proved to be a turning point. What is most significant about this book is how it shows that Gantos never gave up hope even in the most hopeless situation imaginable. He nurtured his dream of becoming a writer, and it eventually proved to be his ticket out of jail. What is most frightening is the lack of premeditation and ease with which he made the life-altering decision that would have devastating consequences. If young people come away with nothing more, they might ponder more carefully their own choices in life. �Not the usual 'How I Became A Writer' treatise, it is an honest, utterly compelling, and life-affirming chronicle of a personal journey for older teens and adults.� (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2002)
Awards
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Michael L. Printz Award (Nominee)
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award (Nominee)
ALA Notable Books for Children
Relevant Web Sites
Jack Gantos Website: http://www.jackgantos.com
About the Book: http://www.fsgkidsbooks.com/teachersguides/holeinmylife.htm
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 10 November 2004.
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY