Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos

Gantos, Jack. Hole in my Life. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2002.

Summary

Jack Gantos who was trying to become a writer was desperate for money to help with college and looking for a way out of a dead-end job. So in the summer of 1971, he thoughtlessly agreed to help sail a yacht that was loaded with hashish for ten thousand dollars. They traveled from Virgin Islands to New York City, where he and his partner eventually got caught by federal agent at the Chelsea Hotel. Gantos was sentenced six years in prison at the age of twenty. Gantos discusses his last year of high school, life as a smuggler, and his time in prison that pushed him to become a writer.

Personal Opinions/Reactions

This book has won several awards including Michael L. Printz Honor book that Gantos well deserves. The writing used will captivate readers making them want to know what happened next and how he survived. The book does slow down some when he discusses his days on the yacht, but with the urge to know what happens with his life readers will continue to read. The story is one of sacrifice, bad decisions, and Gantos turning everything around to become a success writer still to this day.

However, I was shocked with the continuous use of marijuana, and the details spoken about some scenes in prison. My shock was derived from this book being a young adult book, and I could not imagine what a twelve year old would think of these details. I do understand that this is a biography of Gantos’ life, but with feelings that this should be a book for older readers.

Many would recommend this book for ages twelve or thirteen and up, but I would have to disagree. I would definitely say at least a mature sixteen and higher to read this. As Gantos tells of his experience with scenes from his first night in prison to helping a fellow prisoner with a light bulb placed within him I feel this is not appropriate for a twelve year old.

Reviews

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book

A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

A Booklist Editor’s Choice

Amazon.com: “Using short, meaty sentences, Gantos manages to write in a way that dismisses the dubious "romance" of prison, drugs, and "life on the edge" without ever sounding didactic or heavy-handed.”

Publishers Weekly: “The book requires a commitment, as it rambles a bit at times, but it provides much food for thought and fuel for debate.”