Friday, February 19, 2010
Hole in My Life - by Jack Gantos
"Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos was a quick read, however I am not sure I would recommend this book to students. Gantos tells his story in a journal form about his teenage years and his "adventures". The story starts in Fort Lauderdale, travels to St. Croix after finishing high school on his own. In St. Croix, Gantos meets up with a shady character who hire him to help smuggle hash to NYC. I feel students will read this book and think that smuggling drugs is glamorous and the punishment will be light. Being that this story takes place in 1971 when convictions may have been easier.
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Overall I liked the book, I felt that it was an easy read, but I was reluctant to start reading it. As I read I found that I started feeling really bad for Jack. He appeared to simply be lost in life and looking for a way to make his future. I was mad at him for taking the opportunity to smuggle drugs into the country simply for some cash. Although I was upset that he did get arrested, it apparently provided the "scare" and push for him to clean up his act and turn his life around. I was pleased that he did not fill the book with a number of prison stories, as the ones he included were disturbing enough! I was also pleased to find out (upon a little on line research) that he is a successful children's book author!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find that I really enjoyed this book. The Oscar Wilde quote at the onset very appropriately illustrated Jack's journey. Too bad all people who start down the road to drugs, selling, and jail don't take a detour down the "hey, let me re-think this" road.
ReplyDeleteI would also think twice before handing this to some of my students. This may be a good read for a more mature person with a little world experience. I think some of the imagery presented here is pretty shocking (although not any moreso than what we see on TV). The reasons for Jack's sleepless nights when he first arrives at jail, some of the descriptive details about the injuries he encounters in the infirmary--the light bulb?!!!--all paint quite a picture; however, something tells me that some of my students would miss the point, seeing Jack's stay in jail as an adventure more than a consequence. for a crime. Why wouldn't they? He actually got quite a lot of good book material out of it!
I also noticed the lack of parental supervision and wondered if the cause for Jack's brush with the law was poverty, immaturity, or too much freedom too soon...perhaps all three? When there's a protagonist of a youthful age who is in trouble or suffering in some way, the parents always seem to be negligent, overbearing, or oblivious. And I always get very angry about that!
One of the reasons I enjoyed this book was the fact that through all Jack's trials he never loses his yearning to express himself through writing. I believe this is what serves as his beacon in the lonely night and also illustrates what many inmates do not have...a calling outside of the life of crime. His love of writing and a few strokes of luck (like the job in the infirmary that effectively separates him from the other hoodlums), I believe, save his life.
Like others, I found this book to be an easy read. Jack, the typical adolescent who felt he was invincible, had some admirable qualities. I liked that he had a desire to finish high school and I also liked his sophisticated taste in reading, as well as his desire to continually practice and pursue his dream of writing. His adventures, so to speak, were written in an entertaining fashion as the front cover promised... "harrowing and hilarious". I found one quote in the book to be especially funny... it was the one where the dad had pointed out that the one benefit to having a "screw up for a son" was that he was sleeping like a baby, despite the unrest in St. Croix, because the FBI had the house under their watchful eye.
ReplyDeleteOnce the story switched to face mutilation and male rape, my private school upbringing kicked in and I found the content difficult to handle. I wouldn't recommend this book to students. I think that there are enough positive role models in this world who have overcome great odds, without turning to Jack Gantos for inspiration. I think the imagery at times was too disturbing, although this generation has the ability to tolerate more, they are exposed to so much more in today's media.
Like Cherrie, I too was reluctant to start this book. However, once started I enjoyed reading it. I agree with many of the comments here- I found the graphic, post-rape scene and face mutilations tough to handle…and to reiterate what others wrote, I was glad those stories were brief.
ReplyDeleteBut overall, I really liked the book. I thought it would be a good book to recommend to young adults, especially boys. As far as the graphic nature goes, I felt it was a bit tame….compared to what else students are exposed to. I struggled with whether or not he glorifies his role as a drug runner, as Chris wrote. I honestly did not feel this, nor did I think he “got off easy.” I know Yvonne mentioned that there are other, better role models out there, but I think Gantos would be inspirational to some. And, I like the emphasis on reading and writing, and really, how writing saved his life. In the grand scheme of things so many young adults go down this path and don’t break the cycle. I think Gantos is a great example for students that the cycle of drug use and prison can be broken; if you make a mistake you can turn your life around. Today, when so many young people are repeat offenders, go to jail and end up worse off than when they went in, Gantos’s story is refreshing.
Like Pam I wondered about the lack of parental supervision in his life. Got to wonder how those parents slept at night, wondering where their child was, and what his was up to across the ocean. Wow.
Mostly I appreciated Jack desire to write and become a writer, and his writing style. I felt it was easy-to-read, and I loved the language. I often found myself rereading passages because I liked them so much. I wish I was ambitious enough to get up off the couch when reading it to grab some sticky notes to mark these passages! Now, I as am trying to go back and find them I am struggling!! I have one of his YA novels, Jack’s New Power on my desk to read next.
Another way to look at this book is that Jack's dream of writing kept him going through all his negative experiences. Being out on his own so early in life must have influenced his poor decision making skills. His family's inability to provide guidance and stability was due at least in part to circumstances beyond their control. When I read that they had made and lost lots of money along the way, it seems his parents decision making skiils were not the best either. Jack's alcohol and drug use are just stops along the way of a downward spiral but his dream of writing never goes away. Pursuing his dream is the glue that keeps his life together. Without that, where might he have ended up?
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, based on the cover art alone, I would never have chosen this book to read. But, in the end I would have to say it was a good book! The wring was clear and the pace was brisk. He managed to evoke strong images without going overboard. The violence was minimal and not gratuitous at all. I think he actually showed quite a bit of restraint. There was a lot of drug/alcohol abuse but it was not glorified. I think rather than hilarious, I’d say it was softened by humor.
ReplyDeleteWould our students relate? I think so. He describes an overconfident yet lost young adult very well. He was realistic about his friends, his actions and his circumstances.
It was also very important to see that his goal to become a writer was there all along; he just needed time and maturity to see it through. That was a great thread which ran throughout the book. Without that goal, his inner strength, and a bit of good luck (the prison job) he would have been another criminal in and out of the system.
I agree that his family life was unstable, and he was in no way prepared to be on his own at such a young age. That was such a waste a young man's life.
For personal reasons I liked that addition of the reference to the Attica Prison riots. As the president of Metro Act, my husband’s father was the outside contact for the prisoners. My husband remembers the calls in the night and the FBI monitoring their home. I think that scene helped to show the stark reality of prison life.
This is a great story because Jack did turn his life around and students can look up the real Jack and see his current success.
I agree with Mary's comments. I do think Gantos show restraint when discussing his prison experiences. Since this book was targeted with young adults in mind, I am sure there was some censoring of the events. I am planning on reading some of his fiction works, I am anxious to see how his writing style translates.
ReplyDeleteJack Gantos was a wanderer, a lost youth, full of self-doubt and insecurity who stated he had a hallow feeling inside, a barren internal landscape, a void inside that felt as empty as a bottle. He was desperate on the inside, wanting to exit his life, leave everything and start over because everything around him felt like it was falling apart and going wrong. Jack said his travels on the boat would be his “exit and ticket into whatever good school would have me.” From the beginning of his youth until the end (his time after incarceration), he always had the dream of being a writer. He described how when he read books he would let himself become the main character and abandon himself and allow some other person to step right in and take him over. His desire to escape, to run from his existence and not feeling good enough led him into his drug selling and addiction. He so quickly said, “Count me in” when given the invitation to travel on the boat. He so badly wanted to escape, to find his writer’s voice, to follow his dream to be a writer but like many people they never see what is in front of them or what they have until it is too late or until it is gone. Fortunately, Jack was able to still recover his dream, to follow his dream and even become a children’s writer.
ReplyDeleteJack’s memoir was face paced and captivated your attention. I loved all of the irony. It is interesting and ironic that his old school building was a former prison. Especially the day the school had an afternoon assembly to meet the “special alumni” or as he called them four lifers from the state prison who years before had spent time incarcerated in that same building. As Jack watched them and listened to them he said he had nothing in common with them, he wasn’t angry, didn’t steal, and didn’t do drugs and wasn’t a rapist. He worked, wanted to finish school and had the goal of being a writer. He wanted to find his writer voice. I love Jack’s connections he made, for example pushing trees in shopping carts after prison to make his way through college and before it was pushing a shopping cart full of drugs. He said it was joyfully ironic.
Jack learned and admitted that doing drugs and smoking wasn’t doing any more than providing a physical activity that masked the emptiness behind it. He was desperate on the inside, and one thing he learned in the end is that no matter how poor he was, how much he needed money or food he would never make another mistake like that again because was not that desperate, not any more he said.
The quote, “when the day something interesting did happen to me, I‘d be ready” struck home with me. So often we wait for something better to come. But when Jack was released from prison he realized that the stories about his childhood, the ones he did not think were important enough to share suddenly had become the most important stories filled with the days of innocence and happiness. He began to write stories for children. Thanks for letting us know that Cherie. It made me enjoy the book that much more.
After thinking about it, I think you are right in the restraint that Jack used to write his horrific encounters in prison. I can’t imagine him being anymore descriptive and details. It was horrific and incredibly hard to read. I almost wanted to put it down and not finish it, but I am glad that I did.
I flew through this book; I enjoyed this book. In February. And then I forgot to blog about it, so it is now a bit of a blur, but so is much of my daily experience this time of year!
ReplyDeleteThere are a few things that stand out in my mind about Jack's narrative and so I would say that the following things were the most powerful for me.
1. I absolutely loved and appreciated all of the literary allusions throughout this book. They were accessible, appropriate, and added a depth that this book would have lacked without them.
2. The imagery, specifically the zit-popping and the story about his fellow inmate's first night in jail were not so much shocking as deeply evoking, emotionally speaking. It seemed that he really pumped it up when he spoke about mutilating his own face in the mirror; as his experience becomes increasingly dire, his face reflects his fate (enter, Dorian Gray parallel) and it truly made me a bit sick. It doesn't seem like an image that would affect a reader so much but it was just uncomfortable to read and visualize. Ditto for the rape story. That said, I would assume that these are two points that he wanted to emphasize and so his imagery would then stand as an affective rhetorical choice on his part. Although, I will say that his luck with the job in the infirmary seemed a bit like how whats-her-face (sorry--can't remember her name--Lori??) got over her anorexia. I guess he was just lucky.
I can't resist mentioning the 3 book connection. Just like Lori, Jack was a Lucky Man! Will our 4th book fit in??
ReplyDeleteLike Dwenna, I read this book a long time back and forgot to blog about it until now...
ReplyDeleteI thought this would be a great book to recommend to some of our troubled teen-aged boys. I think that Jack's writing style and experience would definitely appeal to many students who may feel trapped or uncertain about their futures. At first I was concerned that having students read about Jack's escapades may glamorize drug trafficking as an alternative to finishing high school and working hard in the real world. Certainly there are students out there who already think that they are going to make money in this or similar ways. Like Jack, unfortunately, there are many young adults who feel that they are invincible. However, maybe after reading about what Jack went through and how he managed to use something that he was passionate about to turn his life around, maybe students will begin to feel a sense of hope that they too can make a change and do something positive with their lives. Then again, I am still young and believe in hope and miracles...
Overall, I found the book to be an excellent, quick read and if it is something that a reluctant reader can pick up and enjoy then it is worth it. If it manages to provide a student with hope and inspiration then that's even better.
Why did I wait so long to blog? Does that not defeat the purpose. Kathy has set these blogs up for us and she has done such a great job. It seems that the true blog does not really take place for some reason. I wonder if (at least for me) everything is always rushed. But I read this book and was unable to read the final book in the blog. I liked this book, but I have a difficult time getting the acne in the mirror scenes out of my head for some reason.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I liked this book is that many kids may be interested in reading about a rebel who makes mistakes. Yet, while they read about that they can take in so many allusions to different authors. One of Jack's allusions may hook a kid and make him read more. This is a plus for those students who do not traditionally read. Students need to see that many people make mistakes and learn from them. Maybe it would help a kids to realize that s/he can turn it around.
A couple of ideas came to me for great projects with this book. Yet, I don't think I would do it with every kid. It would have to be a group made up of the right personalities. All in all I think it is an easy read and will keep it in mind.