Hole in My Life

Hole in my life

In the book "A Hole in My Life" Jack Gantos shows his ability to cut right to the point. He has no fear of telling his tragic life story. He is honest with what he did and you have to respect him for that. His experiences made him a better writer and person. Obviously he regrets what he did, but in the end it helped his career. He shows his ability to make the most out of any situation in life. He persevered, worked hard, and learned from his mistakes. He shows great courage in coming out and telling his story. He turned it into a great book and gave a great example of what can happen to you when you get mixed up with the wrong people. He was just a kid, but he committed a major crime and had to pay the price.
The story of how a young man struggles with high school, moving around the country, avoiding drugs, and trying to become a writer will capture your attention and then leave you shocked. As Jack moved to Saint Croix with his family, he got mixed up with a couple wrong guys. He ends up taking a job sailing 2,000 pounds of hashish to New York. As he makes the journey with the insane naked British man, he is unaware of what is going on around him. The plan would have worked if not for one aspect. As they get to New York and he gets his money, Jack is soon arrested and sent to federal prison. It is there where he truly starts to become a writer. The book shows a period of time in his life where Jack went from good, to bad, to back on the right track. Readers of this book will not be able to put it down.
The honest memoir of Jack Gantos left me shocked but satisfied. His ability to add humor into the very real story makes it interesting and fun to read. Gantos is a great writer and I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a suspense filled true story. He puts his experiences on the line and turned his life around and made the most of it.

4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Hole in My Life

Jack Gantos expresses his memoir, a true, harrowing tale riddled with comedic and despairing moments of how he came to be a successful writer in his latest book, Hole in My Life. An autobiography of sorts, this book retells the woes and humorous events of a student turned federal criminal, then into a successful writer. These stories are plentiful and Jack Gantos expresses them in full candor, without leaving out any details, leaving the reader satisfied but hungry for more. The story of this man's life so far is almost too abstract to be able to imagine but yet, while reading this book you feel sucked in; as though you are out there, on the sailing vessel, on the way to New York with two thousand pounds of hashish in the hull and a naked British man named Hamilton on deck.

Gantos displays an oxymoron of themes in his book. Knowing the end of his memoir at the beginning foreshadows his humorous, adolescent, and even occasionally disgusting ventures by the unfortunate ending. A stylistic genius, Gantos writes so that one can imagine themselves right next to him throughout his tales.

If this book could be described in one or two words, one would most likely use "real". This is so because it is the real occurrence of a student who became a drug runner in a series of events. It is the "real" account of a writer. Some may see or believe Gantos as an ex-con failure but Gantos became a successful writer in the end; the title he had been attempting to reach since his most adolescent times.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

An Exciting Memior

Jack Gantos wanted to be a writer ever since he read his sister's diary and realized how uncreative, tedious and dull it was. He thought that he could write better than what he had read so, he started journaling himself. It became a record that he kept daily, and he soon recognized the talent that he had in his writing. He later went on to be very successful in this hobby of his, but that's not to say he didn't come across some speed bumps on his journey.
In his early years, Jack didn't have the smoothest upbringing. His family was constantly going from place to place, moving from house to house. As a boy, he moved to nearly 10 different homes by his senior year in high school. This was when he decided that he was done with his schooling. Unfortunately, skipping college and striving to be a successful writer was harder than he had once thought. Forgoing college was his only choice because he had no money and no way to make any.or so he thought.
He then found a way to make a lot of money and fast. The only disadvantage was that smuggling drugs was very much illegal and he could go to federal prison if he were caught.which is exactly what happened.
Hole in My Life is an exciting memoir that keeps the reader interested from his childhood all the way to the time he spent in prison. Gantos includes entries from his very own diary, and goes into great detail making the readers feel as if they are experiencing the adventure themselves.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended - you must check it out!!

Hole in My Life starts off with a fairly normal family that is moving out of the states. When the main character, Jack, who is also the author, was in the middle of his 11th grade year he dropped out. When he decides that it would be better for him to go to school, rather than do construction work, his family sends him back to have his senior year with different family in the states. Living with his new family, the Bacons, doesn't go over very well, however, as he would rather party and drink than obey the rules of the family. He is then kicked out and sent to live on his own once again. After a few more incidents he decides to go live with his family on the island St. Croix. This is what led to his getting arrested. When he was offered $10,000 to smuggle drugs into America, he jumped at the chance because he was going to use the money to go to college, but he ends up getting arrested by the Feds, which obviously he never thought would happen. This book is a well-written memoir, a part in this man's life he wishes never happened, the "hole" in his life.
There honestly isn't much to criticize, it is very well written and keeps your interest throughout the entire book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat as you wonder whether or not the right decision will be made. You may think his writing can be bland at some points, but this is overcome by a blend of great writing, storytelling, and that constant thought you have in the back of your mind telling you that this was real, that he actually lived this. It would be easy to say the choices he made were wrong, but the way he describes it and writes about it you soon realize that all he really wanted was college and to become a good successful writer. Unfortunately, he made, as we all do, bad choices that resulted in possibly, one of the worst possible outcome.
It is a very well written book with a style of rough dry humor about tough situations; he is able to laugh at his downfalls in life, which is one of the reasons that makes this book so good. He gives you the examples of what he has done and casually laughs them off, while making it seem horrible enough that the reader never attempts to do any of these things. As a young adult novel, I think it is more of a "what not to do" memoir than an entertaining one, it literally is the "hole" in his life, the part of his life he wants to forget. If you go to his website and read his bio, it says nothing of his jail sentence or even his time on St. Croix, only of his achievements. It is a very good story by an extremely skilled writer that makes for an entertaining book and one definitely worth the $8 and few hours you will spend reading it. It is the first memoir that I have read, but if the others out there are anything like this, it might be a genre I pick up more often.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Book Review over "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

I am generally not one who enjoys any books that are a required read for school; however, I found that 'Hole in my life' was quite the exception. From living in a welfare motel to being "promptly arrested" as he puts in his public speeches, the book has a certain sense of reality and entertainment that I have not found in many books. His mistakes made for one exciting, well written novel. Money - College - Writer.these were the three words ringing in his head constantly. He became so obsessed and fanatical about getting the money for college that, when the opportunity presented itself, he did not think about the end result, which would eventually be federal prison. Growing up in as unstable an environment as he did, I cannot say I fully blame him for all his mistakes, especially when they involved drugs and alcohol. Also I do not blame him completely for his major mistake, leading him into prison. He involuntarily developed this "tunnel vision" that only allowed him to see the ten thousand dollars and do whatever it took to have that money in his pocket. Overall, this memoir based on the true life scenarios lived by Jack Gantos presents many life lessons that all of us can learn from when we are presented with rather difficult situations. Gantos does a great job portraying how he felt during his experiences. With this comes a deeper understanding about what he was going through while reading the novel. This book creates a unique combination of both comedy and thrilling entertainment.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

MUST READ! "fist pump" =D

Ok, well, let me start out by saying that this book is one of the few that I actually enjoyed reading. It is the story of how the author, Jack Gantos, got into some major trouble while looking for adventure, cash for college and a better job. For 10,000 dollars, Gantos agreed to help smuggle a ton of hashish into New York but he gets caught by federal agents and was sentenced to 6 years in jail. This book teaches that there are laws and rules for a reason, and following those laws is usually the best choice.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended - you must check it out!!

This is a good book, not boring at all. It helps you know life has a second chance. Funny about his experience in jail but also serious because he felt lonly. Quick and easy read, you wont wanna stop reading.

awesomely entertaining - check it out

"Hole in my life" by Jack Gantos is an incredible book that talks about the epic struggles of a young adult trying to find his way in life, of redemption, and getting his life straight. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers or introspective books. When Jack Gantos came to my school, he talked about how this was the hardest book he has ever had to write, but it is also a tough one to put down.

This book balances both sharing his emotions and describing his surroundings. His writing style fits this story perfectly as he goes through this story of thrills and comedy. As you are captivated in the first few pages you will embark on an epic journey along side Gantos and go through the emotional roller coaster ride that is "Hole in My Life". As I finished this book I didn't even have the dreaded feeling that is post book letdown. I just turned the last page to realize that it was over

Awweessssoommmee!

In the middle of his senior year, Jack Gantos decides to move away from his parents in San Juan to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and starts to focus on his dream of writing. However, after getting kicked out of a family friend's house, Jack has to find a way to support himself financially and still have enough to pay for a college education, finding out later it was harder than it looks. When he moves back in with his parents in St. Croix, his friend Rik tells him of a job that can get him the tuition money quickly, so he jumps right at it, soon finding out that this one ton hash smuggle could possibly put him in jail for years to come. Jack's superb way of describing his personal experience as an innocent young adult in real life situations makes you feel as if you are in his footsteps. Every description of each setting laid out a landscape in your mind, and the adrenaline-rushing action made your heart pound in fear and kept you on the edge of your seat. Although "Hole in My Life" is an action-packed memoir of his journey to federal prison, Jack Gantos made sure that this book provided a message to the readers. From an ex-con who showed no potential in the professional field of writing to becoming a prestigious author in both children and adult novels, Jack shows that no matter what situation you're put through, always follow your dreams. I had the chance to meet Jack Gantos in person, and he is truly following his dream. If you enjoy reading true life stories with inspiring messages that will stay with you forever, then I would recommend you read this book. "You - as a reader - may be finished with a book.but the book may not be finished with you." -Jack Gantos

Life-Changing Experience Creates a Life-Changing Book!

As a bit of a perpetual yet reluctant reader because of school work, I rarely get excited about required reading in a class. I had the same feeling when my English teacher told us we were going to begin reading "Hole in My Life." I wasn't looking forward to it. Even when I began reading the memoir, I was simply glancing over the words; not taking in any real content. However, after the first few pages, my interest in Gantos' story grew immensely.
In an adventure of laughter, excitement, and thrills, Jack Gantos describes his fourteen-month sentence in federal prison after smuggling hash into New York. While reading, you really feel as though Gantos himself is talking right to your face about the events. You also acknowledge the fact that Gantos really matured from a kid who doesn't think things through to, by the end of the book, a true man who had been through a lifetime of experiences in a little time.
Overall, I would recommend "Hole in My Life" for anyone wanting to read a book that can physically impact your life. There are many life lessons that can be learned and applied to your own life through reading this book.
Thank you

quite elite

"Hole in My Life", a memoir by Jack Gantos, adds photographic detail through his words to a dark and serious genre that would otherwise be frank and depressing. With well placed humor and true to life descriptions, you can't help but picture everything even when you don't want to. Throughout his criminal escapade, Gantos continues down his increasingly narrow future. Although his memoir details his smuggling operation, Gantos makes it clear that his book is truly about his becoming a writer. This book, unlike countless others, has really left me with something to take away. He reminded me of how even when something looks like it could be the best option, it might end up being the exact opposite. Gantos explained how unfair the association is between a bad kid and a desperate kid. Throughout his teenage and young adult life, Gantos had been put in the wrong places. His memoir not only showed the consequences of disobeying the law, but also how unfortunate a talented person can be. In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an enthralling yet serious read.

Great read.....Top ten

Jack Gantos made a mistake as a young adult that completely changed his life. He had always aspired to be an author, but was unable to put his thoughts and writings together until he went on a trip that ultimately altered the way he writes. This true story of adventure, mistakes, and misfortune keeps you wanting to read more and more.

Jack Gantos does a phenomenal job incorporating short bursts of humor all throughout the book. This book is filled with moments that put you on the edge of your seat such as getting their boat loaded with 2 tons of hashish stuck in military waters. Since the author is the one telling his own story, it is incredibly detailed, and it is all completely true. His dream of getting a college education would eventually come true and give him his lucky break after landing in jail when he gets busted for smuggling drugs.

Personally, this one is definitely in my top ten books to read. The sheer magnitude of the situation that Gantos eventually ended up in really forces you to pay attention to details and just take everything in. It is almost like he is relaying you his account of the story while sitting right next to you. This book made me realize that if you are put in the worst situations you can change yourself for the better in ways that you may have never thought possible. Reading this book has changed the way I think and proceed with my
life. I would recommend this book to anyone.

An easy read that will entertain

The final year of high school is important in determining a person's future. This was the case for Jack Gantos as he pieced together the story of his restive final year. He was an aspiring writer and was desperate for some action to write about. The problem was that he did not have enough money for college. Jack was willing to do anything for the price of ten-thousand dollars. It seemed like a quick-fix solution for the money to start his writing career. He agreed to sail two-thousand pounds of hashish to New York. Getting caught by the F.B.I. and sentenced six-years in federal prison was never part of the plan, but prison allowed him to reconsider his beliefs and allowed him to become the serious writer that he is today.




This is not simply a scared confessional; it is much more than just a moral message to the audience. Young adult readers will be able to appreciate the honesty and boldness that he expresses in his struggle in finding his true identity. This book also shows the importance of a strong family support, of which Jack was deprived. Much of the action was all brutally realistic and no events were sugar coated, allowing a more fascinating tale. Aspiring writers of any age should read this book because it is a beautiful story about the making of a successful writer.
Tom McCallie

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Book! edge of seat thriller

"Hole in My Life" was a memoir about Jack Gantos and his many troubles. He made some very bad decisions, and then he made a couple of good ones, like applying to college. The theme of this book is to grow up making the right decisions. On the contrary, if you make the right choices like going to college then you can have a bright future like he did after he got out of jail. He started making the right choices by going down the path to success. Most importantly, he made sure he stayed clear of drugs. He worked very hard to make the money he did and paid for his own tuition at the college he attended.

I really liked this book because the author told the story exactly like it was and he wasn't afraid of what others thought about his past. This book grabs your attention by many different things, like when he was on the boat (sailing to New York from St. Croix) passing the coast guard with all of the pounds of hash he had on board. You could really get inside of his mind; he is the most descriptive author I have ever read from. I felt as if it was me that was being chased by the F.B.I. when they found out about him. He goes into great detail with every new sentence; this story was quite interesting because you have no idea what will come next. If you are looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it. There are so many horrible paths he goes down it's almost impossible to believe that he is still alive, better yet a successful author.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

very good book

Jack Gantos' Hole in My Life starts with Jack getting abandoned by his family and him moving into a foster family, he soon gets kicked out for vomiting literally everywhere and on everything in their house. After his misadventure with the foster family, he is able to move back to his family on a remote island to live with them and to build boxes with his father. The purpose of the building of the boxes is for rich white people who want to leave the island in order to go to a safer place. One day while building a box, he is then recruited to help sail a boat from the island to New York by a random stranger. Doesn't sound so bad right? Wrong! Since the boat is carrying 2000 pounds of Hash which is a illegal drug, and the fact that he has no idea how to sail a boat. Along with having no idea on how to sail a boat he also has no prior experience with boats. He is offered $10,000 to do the job and he sees it as a great way to get enough money to go to college so he can become a successful writer. Despite the fact that it is illegal, he takes the job, which he later realize that it was the worst idea in his life. After accidently floating in a Coast Guard station and having been offered help by them he rejects so that they don't find the drugs, he arrives in NYC. After hanging around in the city, he is arrested by the FBI after being sold out by the man who hired him. He is placed in a Federal prison for over 15 years but get out way sooner than he was supposed to.
Hole in my life is a great basically a great story of his childhood up to the time when he was arrested by the feds. Jack knows exactly how to get somebody interested in his story. He also knows how to keep the reader interested in this story by sometimes putting comedy in the situation, but he probably doesn't mean to do this but it turns out to help the story. In conclusion, this turns out to be a very good story.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

HEY HEY HEY... READ THIS!

"Hole in my life"
By: Jack Gantos

Are you looking for a book that has heart, or maybe one that has intensity, or one that has hysterical laughs and epic heartbreaks? One that you will not want to put down; well listen up. The story "Hole in my life" by Jack Gantos is an amazing book for anyone whether you're12 or 120 this book will steal your soul with awesomeness. The idea of a good kid that gets involved in bad things is something we can all relate to. Jacks predicament only adds to the feeling when he is caught between a rock and a hard place. He decides to hop on a ship carrying 2,000lbs of hash from St. Croix to New York, but the unthinkable happens. Jack is now faced with a problem of a lifetime. A problem we can all learn from. Some things I learned from this book are, redemption is possible, shame hurts but is healed, please don't smoke pot, and the last most important lesson you can get from this is to learn from your mistakes. As this is a life lesson that we should all take away from this book.
I don't care who you are, because you could be Hitler or Napoleon and still love this book. The way he throws his whole existence in to the book captivates the mind and holds on relentlessly. Trust me; you will not want to put it down. Once you've finished the book you will have two feelings, either holy crap I want to read it again, or holy crap, this was as rad as a movie starring John Travolta in his dramatic role as Jack. But maybe you don't like John Travolta, but you get my point. As I read this I thought wow! This happened to an actual teenager just like me, and this could've happened to anyone. It could've happened to you, and that's what makes this book unique and incredible

That guy WHO CHASES CATS

Hole in My Life was an exciting memoir of the unfortunate mistakes of young Jack Gantos. In a nut shell, Jack summarizes his journey from late teens to his mid twenties. Unlike the typical teenager Jack found himself excluded from his family at a young age, and accepted by another willing to take him in. However, he gets kicked out for excessive drinking. As Jack struggles to find his place financially and academically, he gets involved with the wrong group of people to end him up in a place he never expected to be. Offered a reward for criminal activity, Jack saw this as his opportunity to go to college. During the book Jack records his sea life; everything from naked British men, escaping the cops, smuggling his daily smoke of Hashish, and destroying the pores of his face.
Hole in my life was incredible; it kept you on the edge of your seat even if the outcome was predictable. Somehow he manages to pull it off without the element of surprise. His talent to express the truth shines fully throughout the text and pages of this masterpiece. I can't remember a single moment where I felt the pain from my eyes reading late at night overcome my curiosity and excitement to put the book down. On top of all this, like many other students I don't enjoy reading so this was a surprisingly meaningful experience in my journey as a reader.
Although the book was top of its game, minor flaws held it back. Sometimes telling the exact truth was actually boring, not every day was interesting but he did his best to ignore the boring segments.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

do you have a hole in your life?

Jack Gantos' Hole in My Life is a memoir that shows the experience of a troubled teen transforming into the successful children's writer he is today. After a childhood of moving around, causing mischief and getting in trouble with alcohol and drugs, Gantos decides to get his life back on track by going to college. His only problem is, he has no money. So, when Jack gets offered to assist in sailing a boat to New York from the Virgin Islands for $10,000 he jumps at the opportunity. However, he gets in trouble with the law when they found out that what he was taking to New York, 2,000 pounds of hash. Jack was sent to a federal pen for six years and in two years applied to a community college and got released to probation .Now, Jack Gantos is a professor at Emerson College in Boston, MA and a renowned children's author. Even though Jack has a great message and story in Hole in My Life I feel that his use of figurative language and vocabulary is below par in the world of modern day writers.

Hole in My Life definitely has its moments and I would recommend to someone going through tough times. However, Gantos has the vocabulary of a nine year old and I would certainly never recommend this book to someone looking for an invigorating and intellectual novel.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

want a great book?

The book "Hole in My Life" is about a young adult (Jack Gantos) traveling through the emotional hardships of life as a teenager and becoming a writer. It starts out as he is in school and he gets drunk at the bar and smokes his brains out. Then his family is moving. But he needs to finish up school so he moves in with another family in Florida. He is eventually kicked out of the house for vomiting all over the living room after another night of partying and drinking and has to support himself while living in a Davy Crockett apartment/motel. After living in the apartment for a while he moves back to his family in St. Croix where a black revolution is going on. When he is offered (what seems like) the opportunity of a lifetime he tells his dad he is going to sail a boat carting 2,000lbs of hash. Jack navigates the boat all the way to New York mildly unscathed. Where he and the two people that hired him begin dealing the hash they had smuggled. After he gets paid he is basically "just chillin'" until the cops bust his partners and the punks snitch on him. Then he is wanted by the FBI and agrees to turn himself in. He gets out of the clank after serving only 15 months of prison time, when they let him on parole to complete college.

I am not a big reader or anything but this book really grabbed my attention from the moment I read the first word. It wasn't the normal book where I dreaded reading it, I actually wanted to read it. Jack's creative and descriptive writing style makes it seem as though you are right there with him as he navigates the boat or is in prison. It never leaves you asking where or why, because you can see the walls of his cell or the boat as it hits shore multiple times.

This is a great book for teenagers and young adults as it shows you how one choice can change your life. It is a great story about how he went from making mistakes to being the sophisticated writer that he is now.

MUST READ~!

From living in an apartment alone his senior year of high-school, to making his way out of federal prison, Gantos gives an account of his life that is both easy and fun to read. He does an exceptional job of incorporating the actual events with his thoughts and feelings. Through this, the reader receives a deeper understanding of the actions that are actually taking place. His humor, wit, and overall self-expressive writing creates a book with hardly a dull moment. Many wrong decisions formed the situation that Gantos eventually found himself in. At the time he was presented the opportunity to sail 2,000 pounds of hash to N.Y for $10,000, he was overwhelmingly unhappy with his situation in St. Croix. This unhappiness caused him to take the chance that was in front of him. By taking this opportunity, only to create a future for himself, Gantos instead found himself prolonging his college opportunity serving time in jail.

"Hole in My Life" is an amazingly well written book about a man stuck in the darkness of his mistakes, turning his life around and coming into the light of what he always wanted to be, a writer. After meeting with Gantos at my school I realized the writer he became is one who never lets any thoughts escape his head. He never leaves you wondering why he did what he did in the book, and at the same time gives an astonishingly descriptive narration of the events that took place. I would recommend this book for anyone looking to hear Gantos' story of his miraculous turn around in a way that is both thoughtful and excitingly written.