Hole in My Life

by Jack Gantos

Overview

Becoming a writer the hard way

In the summer of 1971, Jack Gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuition, and a way out of a dead-end job. For ten thousand dollars, he recklessly agreed to help sail a sixty-foot yacht loaded with a ton of hashish from the Virgin Islands to New York City, where he and his partners sold the drug until federal agents caught up with them. For his part in the conspiracy, Gantos was sentenced to serve up to six years in prison.

In Hole in My Life, this prizewinning author of over thirty books for young people confronts the period of struggle and confinement that marked the end of his own youth. On the surface, the narrative tumbles from one crazed moment to the next as Gantos pieces together the story of his restless final year of high school, his short-lived career as a criminal, and his time in prison. But running just beneath the action is the story of how Gantos - once he was locked up in a small, yellow-walled cell - moved from wanting to be a writer to writing, and how dedicating himself more fully to the thing he most wanted to do helped him endure and ultimately overcome the worst experience of his life.

Hole in My Life is a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312641573
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	04/24/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	24,243
Product dimensions:	5.56(w) x 8.12(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults. His works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert Honors, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book, and Dead End in Norvelt, winner of the Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

Jack was raised in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, and when he was seven, his family moved to Barbados. He attended British schools, where there was much emphasis on reading and writing, and teachers made learning a lot of fun. When the family moved to south Florida, he found his new classmates uninterested in their studies, and his teachers spent most of their time disciplining students. Jack retreated to an abandoned bookmobile (three flat tires and empty of books) parked out behind the sandy ball field, and read for most of the day. The seeds for Jack's writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. He begged his mother for a diary and began to collect anecdotes he overheard at school, mostly from standing outside the teachers' lounge and listening to their lunchtime conversations. Later, he incorporated many of these anecdotes into stories.

While in college, he and an illustrator friend, Nicole Rubel, began working on picture books. After a series of well-deserved rejections, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph, in 1976. It was a success and the beginning of Jack's career as a professional writer. Jack continued to write children's books and began to teach courses in children's book writing and children's literature. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College and the Vermont College M.F.A. program for children's book writers. He now devotes his time to writing books and educational speaking. He lives with his family in Boston, Massachusetts.

Read an Excerpt

From Hole in My Life:

From my cell window I could see a line of houses in the distance. All week the people had been putting up Halloween decorations. We didn't celebrate Halloween in prison - or, I should say, every day in prison was scarier than any Halloween, so there was no reason to do anything special on October 31st. But thinking of Halloween reminded me of a funny story from when I was in fifth grade. We were living in Kendall, Florida, right on the train tracks. One Halloween afternoon police cars flooded our neighborhood and announced that Halloween was canceled because there had been a prison break upstate at Raford. A couple of guys had hopped a freight and the cops thought they may have jumped off in our area. We locked our doors and turned on all the lights. We pulled the curtains. All night I scampered from window to window peeking out and looking for unshaven suspicious types in striped outfits. Every time a bush rustled in the wind my heart leapt. I saw rugged prison mugs in every shadow. It was the most exciting Halloween ever. The escapees were caught not far from our house and I was disappointed that I hadn't spotted them slinking around.

I wrote this story down in my journal. From time to time I wrote down other funny stories and memories about my family and my childhood. It was a relief to write stories that didn't have bars around them.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A memoir, by turns harrowing and hilarious, about a huge mistake.”—Miami Herald “His account is remarkably free of both self-pity and self-censorship. . . . This is a tale of courage and redemption, proving that a bad start in life does not have to lead to a bad life story.”—The New York Times Book Review “Gantos really is Everyman, but an Everyman who has landed himself into a deeper pit than most. What separates Gantos is the determination that took him out of his dreams and into a successful life as a writer. Those writerly skills are in full evidence here, in this thoughtful and provocative memoir as valuable to those who have never heard of Gantos as to those who have read all of his books.”—Hyde Park Review of Books “The ultimate cautionary tale.”—Smithsonian “This true tale of the worst year in the author’s life will be a big surprise for his many fans. . . .This is a story of mistakes, dues, redemption, and finally success at what he always wanted to do: write books.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Reading Group Guide

Classroom Connections

Since reading, language arts, and English

curricula often contain overlapping skills

and strategies, this autobiography can be used

in any setting that encourages students to

read and respond to print. Hole in My Life

offers teachers the chance to utilize a text

that is nonfiction in genre yet employs several

of the same techniques used in fiction. Many

state tests rely on nonfiction selections in

their reading component, so this book can

help students read nonfiction effectively.

Additionally, several standards in social

studies may be addressed with this book.

Language Arts /English /Reading Standards:

This guide meets the following standards from

the International Reading Association (IRA)

and the National Council of Teachers of

English (NCTE):

• Students read a wide range of print and nonprint

texts to build an understanding of texts, of

themselves, and of the cultures of the United

States and the world; to acquire new information;

to respond to the needs and demands of society

and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment.

Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction,

classic and contemporary works.

• Students apply a wide range of strategies to

comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate

texts. They draw on their prior experience, their

interactions with other readers and writers, their

knowledge of word meaning and of other texts,

their word identification strategies, and their

understanding of textual features (e.g., soundletter

correspondence, sentence structure,

context, graphics).

• Students apply knowledge of language structure,

language conventions (e.g., spelling and

punctuation), media techniques, figurative

language, and genre to create, critique, and

discuss print and nonprint texts.

Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective,

creative, and critical members of a variety of

literacy communities.

• Students use spoken, written, and visual language

to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for

learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the

exchange of information).

Social Studies Standards:

This guide meets the standards of the National

Council for the Social Studies.

• Social studies programs should include

experiences that provide for the study of the

ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship

in a democratic republic.

• Social studies programs should include

experiences that provide for the study of

individual development and identity. Personal

identity is shaped by one's culture, by groups,

and by institutional influences. How do people

learn? Why do people behave as they do? What

influences how people learn, perceive, and

grow? How do people meet their basic needs

in a variety of contexts? Questions such as

these are central to the study of how individuals

develop from youth to adulthood. Examination

of various forms of human behavior enhances

understanding of the relationships among

social norms and emerging personal identities,

the social processes that influence identity

formation, and the ethical principles underlying

individual action.

Pre-Reading Activity

What is the significance of the title? What

could cause a "hole" in someone's life? What

do students think the story will be about?

Does the photo of Gantos facing the title

page give any clue as to his identity? What

conclusions about this person could a

reader draw from the photograph alone?

Would the conclusions differ when paired

with the title?

Discussion

n Much of the story is told in flashback. The

opening chapter refers to Gantos's prison

photo and the food in the prison. Then Gantos

reflects on something from his childhood.

This collapsing of settings/time frames could

be confusing without the use of literary

techniques. How does the author signal

whether he is talking about something in

the distant past versus the setting/time

frame of the story?

n Go through the book and make a list of the

titles of each chapter. How does Gantos signal

the reader ahead of time about what will occur

in the chapter? What kinds of clues do the

chapter titles provide?

n As you read through the chapters, keep

a chart of the decisions Gantos made that

culminated in his trip to smuggle drugs. For

instance, in chapter 2, he talks about living on

his own as a teen and wandering through

casinos and drinking. How did these early

actions lead up to the one that changed the

course of his life?

n The story is divided into three sections.

Why do you think the author decided to

separate parts of the story? What important

event occurs in each part?

n In part 1, chapter 4, Gantos refers to On

the Road by Jack Kerouac. Look up a synopsis

of this book, or read an excerpt from its early

chapters. Why do you think Gantos was

enamored of the life described by Kerouac?

What connections do you see between Gantos

and Kerouac?

n "I have learned this: it is not what one

does that is wrong, but what one becomes as

a consequence of it." How does this quote

from Oscar Wilde (found on the epigraph

page) reflect the major theme of this book?

How does Gantos change as a result of what

he has done wrong? What does he "become"

that might not have happened without his

experiences in prison?

Reaching across the

Curriculum

Social Studies

This story could be used to focus on current

events as they relate to topics such as prisons,

prison life, drugs, drug abuse, drug smuggling.

Students could be placed in groups and

given some choices about possible topics to

explore. After students have had the chance

to complete their research using print and

nonprint materials, their information could be

presented in the form of a traditional report,

a Power Point presentation, or a Web site

designed to provide readers with links to sites

related to the individual topics. Alternatively,

students could research similar topics as they

relate to other countries. What is the prison

system like in Britain or Russia? How does

the criminal justice system in the United

States differ from that of Australia or Japan?

Teachers can tailor these comparisons to

curricular demands.

Additionally, map skills could be a topic

chosen by the students, as they trace the route

sailed by Gantos from the Virgin Islands to

New York.

Reading / Language Arts

Throughout the book, Gantos refers to the

saving power of books and reading. In the

list at right, he identifies books that were

important to him as he worked through his

time in prison. However, he also refers to

reading as something like a drug. Gantos used

books to comfort himself in times of trouble,

to distract him from his problems. How can

reading be both beneficial and detrimental?

Ask students to write in their journals about

this almost schizophrenic approach to books

and reading. Ask them to provide examples

from their own lives that mirror this conflicted

view. Are there other elements in their lives

that are similar? For instance, what about the

positive and negative effects of Internet surfing? Of music? Of television? Etc.

Alternatively, students could be asked to select

one of the books from the list below, read it,

and write about why they think this particular

book was important in Gantos's life.

Editorial Reviews

A memoir, by turns harrowing and hilarious, about a huge mistake.

Miami Herald

His account is remarkably free of both self-pity and self-censorship. . . . This is a tale of courage and redemption, proving that a bad start in life does not have to lead to a bad life story.

The New York Times Book Review

Gantos really is Everyman, but an Everyman who has landed himself into a deeper pit than most. What separates Gantos is the determination that took him out of his dreams and into a successful life as a writer. Those writerly skills are in full evidence here, in this thoughtful and provocative memoir as valuable to those who have never heard of Gantos as to those who have read all of his books.

Hyde Park Review of Books

The ultimate cautionary tale.

Smithsonian

"Gantos uses the same bold honesty found in his fiction to offer a riveting autobiographical account of his teen years [when he agreed to help smuggle hashish from Florida to New York and wound up in jail]," PW said. "It will leave readers emotionally exhausted and a little wiser." Ages 12-up. (Sept.) n Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gantos, successful author of books for children and young adults, ventures outside his accustomed venue with this autobiographical work. At the age of nineteen, Gantos helped to smuggle one ton of hashish from St. Croix to New York City, and as a result of being caught, served two years of imprisonment in a federal penitentiary in Ashland, Kentucky. Throughout the first few chapters, the saga seems an extension of the Jack Henry stories. The tone soon changes, however, from the comical eccentricity of Gantos's later teenage years to the tension and paranoia of drug smuggling, and finally the fear and despair of prison life. The reader suffers through each agonizing and vulnerable moment until Jack is released and starts a new life, fulfilling his dream of becoming a writer. Children of the sixties, whose youthful indiscretions turned, or nearly turned, into more disasters, will read this book cover-to-cover without stopping. Even young readers without relevant experience will find their hearts racing and their blood pressure rising as the frightening events of his story unfold. Gantos's honesty and directness in describing the whole experience make reading this book a gut-wrenching experience. Gritty details make it a better fit for older high school students and adults, and teachers who have used Gantos's previous books will find it especially intriguing. (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal). James Blasingame

VOYA

In this bittersweet autobiography, the future author Jack Gantos is looking for away off his homeland of St. Croix, an island full of racial turmoil and personal stagnation. He wants to go to the United States and try his hand at college so he can fulfill his dreams of becoming a writer. One day, the opportunity of a lifetime lands in his lap, and he finds that he cannot say "no." All he has to do is help smuggle 2,000 pounds of hash on a boat from St. Croiz to New York. For this, he could receive ten thousand dollars, and his ticket to school. Desperate to leave, Gantos falls prey to this crime of convenience, and as fate would have it, he lands in prison. This surprising book recounts the popular YA author's late-teen life, his subsequent arrest and imprisonment. It is frank, harsh, and beautifully truthful at times — especially about life in prison. Above all, this is the story of a young writer trying to find inspiration for his work. Ultimately, he finds the greatest inspiration within himself. 2002, Farrar Straus & Giroux, 200 pp.,
— Thomas Nigel Hames

When Jack Gantos was 20 years old, he wanted to go to college, but his grades in high school had not been good enough. He had desperately longed to be a writer since a very young age, but he couldn't seem to find anything important to write about. He was living in the Virgin Islands when an acquaintance proposed a business venture. Rik had 2,000 pounds of hash that needed to be transported to the US, and he wanted Gantos to help drive the boat. For participating in this enterprise, he would be paid $10,000. The danger and personal risk involved never even occurred to Gantos. All he could see was the means to attend a good college. When they were caught, Gantos was sentenced to prison. Ironically, prison is what enabled him to finally pursue his dream of becoming an author. He finally had the patience to write, but the prison would not allow him to keep a journal. He circumvented this restriction by recording his thoughts in the space between the lines of The Brothers Karamozov. Every aspiring writer should read Gantos' book. It is a testament to the creative potential that exists in everyone's life. Although Gantos' experience in prison shaped him as an author as well as a man, it did not define his character. Every one of his actions following his arrest was an attempt to create a distance between himself and the criminal life. While in prison, he quit doing drugs, began to write, and ultimately applied to and was accepted into college. Hole in My Life is a fascinating and surprising look at the life of the man who has given us Rotten Ralph and the Joey Pigza books, among others. KLIATT Codes: SA*—Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students,advanced students, and adults. 2002, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 200p. illus., Ages 15 to adult.
—Heather Lisowski

KLIATT

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.-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

"We didn't so much arrive at our destinations as aim and crash into them like kamikaze yachtsmen." So Gantos describes himself as a 20-year-old about to be arrested and imprisoned for smuggling two thousand pounds of hashish from St. Croix to New York City. Young Jack seems to share with his fictional characters-Joey Pigza and Jack Henry-a blithe disregard for the consequences of wild behavior. Readers follow him from a seedy motel run by the great-great-granddaughter of Davy Crockett to a Keystone Kops adventure on the sea, from a madcap escape from FBI and Treasury agents to his arrest and trial, represented by his lawyer, Al E. Newman. This true tale of the worst year in the author's life will be a big surprise for his many fans. Gantos has the storyteller's gift of a spare prose style and a flair for the vivid simile: Davy has "brown wrinkled skin like a well-used pirate map"; a prisoner he met was "nervous as a dragonfly"; another strutted "like a bowlegged bulldog." This is a story of mistakes, dues, redemption, and finally success at what he always wanted to do: write books. The explicit descriptions of drug use and prison violence make this a work for older readers. 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

"A memoir, by turns harrowing and hilarious, about a huge mistake." —Miami Herald

"His account is remarkably free of both self-pity and self-censorship . . . This is a tale of courage and redemption, proving that a bad start in life does not have to lead to a bad life story." —The New York Times Book Review

"Gantos really is Everyman, but an Everyman who has landed himself into a deeper pit than most. What separates Gantos is the determination that took him out of his dreams and into a successful life as a writer. Those writerly skills are in full evidence here, in this thoughtful and provocative memoir as valuable to those who have never heard of Gantos as to those who have read all of his books." — Hyde Park Review of Books

"The ultimate cautionary tale." —Smithsonian

"This true tale of the worst year in the author's life will be a big surprise for his many fans . . .This is a story of mistakes, dues, redemption, and finally success at what he always wanted to do: write books." —Starred, Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher