Becoming a writer the hard way
In the summer of 1971, Jack Gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuit... read full description
In the summer of 1971, Jack Gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuit... read full description
reviews
Oct 29, 2008
Carter
rated it: 
Crazy to think I met the man before I read his story. And wow! I appreciated how he didn't pull any punches telling his story. He could've toned down some of the story, apologized for some of the not-so-good things that he did; but he didn't. It's his story and he took ownership of it. Great book.
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Apr 21, 2009
James
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You always hear tragic tales that involve drugs and you never think it could apply to you. Why would it? You're a decent person that knows right from wrong, it can't happen to you. When we are young, we all believe we are invincible, some of us still do.
Jack Gantos recounts his struggle starting as a young high school student aspiring to become a writer. He has plans for college so he can become a better writer but feels he has nothing to write about. Through his search for inspirati More...
Jack Gantos recounts his struggle starting as a young high school student aspiring to become a writer. He has plans for college so he can become a better writer but feels he has nothing to write about. Through his search for inspirati More...
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Mar 28, 2009
Patricia
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This young adult autobiography is a candid account of a young man whose aspirations to become a writer would not be fulfilled before he made some bad decisions and suffered the consequences.
While I think the book was well written and not an apology for his mistakes, I would not recommend hole in my life for the middle school students I teach. Gantos’ experiences with drugs, smuggling, and self-doubt are more appropriate for young adults. The quote from Oscar Wilde sums up why this More...
While I think the book was well written and not an apology for his mistakes, I would not recommend hole in my life for the middle school students I teach. Gantos’ experiences with drugs, smuggling, and self-doubt are more appropriate for young adults. The quote from Oscar Wilde sums up why this More...
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Feb 23, 2009
Sara
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This book isn't as well-known as it should be. For one thing, most children's book authors don't admit to a criminal past. But Jack Gantos had the guts to do so, and it's a great story. Honest without being brutal, and always with that Gantos edge of detail and humor, I can close my eyes and still remember when I first encountered this book. I was impressed then, and I still am.
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Jan 05, 2009
Janet
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Saw this on the YA shelves and was struck that it really wasn't YA material. But after listening to it on CD, I guess it was. This children's book author made some mistakes when he was younger and ended up in jail. It was fascinating to listen to him (he read the CD) recount how he kind of stumbled almost innocently into smuggling drugs on a yacht from the Virgin Islands to NYC--he needed the money! I think that's how stupid, even criminal things happen--- when you just don't think things thro
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Nov 16, 2011
Holly
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This autobiography focuses on the idea of “What If”?. Jack Gantos tells the story of his high school days, living in a cheap hotel, going to high school and working in Florida while his family moved to the Virgin Islands. Upon graduation he headed down to St. Croix to meet them and arrived in the midst of a Revolution. He ended up smuggling hash up to New York, where he was caught and served several years in federal prison.
This book ultimately keeps the reader on his toes as you see the au More...
This book ultimately keeps the reader on his toes as you see the au More...
Nov 16, 2009
My Review of “Hole in my Life”
Warning: Content may contain some spoilers
The book, “Hole in my Life” is a decent autobiography that I enjoyed reading. This novel has a darker theme than the past books that I have read since it talks about the life of the author, Jack Gantos and this personal story is in depth with explicit details that shocked me greatly. I am glad that Gantos decided to tell the full story of his life to everyone unlike some famous public figures out t More...
Warning: Content may contain some spoilers
The book, “Hole in my Life” is a decent autobiography that I enjoyed reading. This novel has a darker theme than the past books that I have read since it talks about the life of the author, Jack Gantos and this personal story is in depth with explicit details that shocked me greatly. I am glad that Gantos decided to tell the full story of his life to everyone unlike some famous public figures out t More...
Jan 15, 2009
Barky
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 05, 2009
60rd1$3_76
rated it: 
Okay this book was alright but I really didn't like it that much because it really didn't catch my attention. This book is the about the life of none other than Jack Gantos. He is a young boy but a young boy with dreams to become a famous writer but all of that is about to change when he makes a decision that takes a wrong turn. He lived in Florida but each year his father gets a job at different place's they have to travel alot. His father can tell a criminal when he sees them and automatically
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Jan 17, 2012
Lexi.vernaglia
rated it:
In Hole In My Life, the main character and author of the book Jack Gantos brings us through his life growing up as a teenager and through his time in jail. He was a young boy living on his own making his own money to support himself while his father moved jobs a lot trying to earn enough money to support his family. While Jack was in high school he always spoke about how he wanted to write. It was a desire of his, but as an action, it was just a thought. He never went through with it until h
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Nov 29, 2011
Katie
rated it:
I read this quickly and with moderate interest as to what would happen to young Jack in his journeys, both literal (as he ferried drugs) and figurative. I was especially struck by his story because he was a high school senior and then graduate, by the skin of his teeth, struggling to find his way in life. It wasn't that he was utterly lost--he knew he wanted to be a writer, and the maddeningly idealistic way in which he hopes, pines, and bounces around hoping to witness something great while wor
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Sep 24, 2011
Rosalia
rated it:
Jack Gantos tells the story of his high school days, living in a cheap hotel, going to high school and working in Florida while his family moved to the Virgin Islands. Upon graduation he headed down to St. Croix to meet them and arrived in the midst of a Revolution. He ended up smuggling hash up to New York, where he was caught and served several years in federal prison. Throughout this time Gantos struggled to try to become a writer and it was only while he was in prison that he really learn
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Aug 27, 2011
Adriana
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 14, 2011
Alison
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Jack Gantos tells the story of his arrest for drug smuggling and the events leading up to his arrest. On his own attending high school, and later in St. Croix, Jack makes some very bad decisions. Jack ends up serving time in a federal prison, but eventually honing his craft as a writer and shaping the rest of his life.
I wonder if Hole in my Life refers to the emptiness Jack experiences as a teenager. He seems to be a good kid, but doesn’t always make the best decisions. He was offered the o More...
I wonder if Hole in my Life refers to the emptiness Jack experiences as a teenager. He seems to be a good kid, but doesn’t always make the best decisions. He was offered the o More...
Apr 25, 2011
Brooke
rated it: 
I hated this book beyond belief. It was required reading for my World Biography class, and I know that me lacking an actual intellectual being for a teacher definitely helped me hate this book all the more.
I think that it's nice how unapologetic Jack Gantos is, but I enjoy books that challenge me, or bring something new to the table. This was written in a prose that a third grader could read (which isn't surprising since he's a children's book writer) and is extremely anticlimactic. More...
I think that it's nice how unapologetic Jack Gantos is, but I enjoy books that challenge me, or bring something new to the table. This was written in a prose that a third grader could read (which isn't surprising since he's a children's book writer) and is extremely anticlimactic. More...
Mar 24, 2011
This book was one of the more interesting books I read. The young man that was the main character made a big mistake. He chose the easy way out of a bad situation and it turned out bad for him. He spent days upon days in a prison cell horrified by the things he saw. When he got out, he made a better life for himself. He got a job, place to live, and enrolled in college.
The author wrote this book in a style by which the main character told it. It is important that it was written in t More...
The author wrote this book in a style by which the main character told it. It is important that it was written in t More...
Mar 24, 2011
I really enjoyed this book, andyone who loves adventure would loveit too. It tells storys about his life and flashbacks on his life.This book is about a guy named Jake, he moves to puerto rico with his family, but when he gets there he is not able to go to school andhe can't speak spanish. His dad decides to send him back to america to go to school in florida and finsh high shcool. he lives on his own and start to go to school.Life starts to get kidna hard for him he doesnt have alot of money so
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Mar 24, 2011
Jack Gantos was a regular kid in high school but got in some bad things and wanted to be a writer when he grew up but the only thing was he wanted to go to and live for the day. He found a guy in a bar and the guy said to Jack that if he spots a boat with a flag to tell him because it has a bunch of drugs on it and they are going to ship it to new york and make money on it.
The reason they ask jack to help is because they need one more person to help them get the drugs out to n More...
The reason they ask jack to help is because they need one more person to help them get the drugs out to n More...
Mar 11, 2011
I like the book Hole in my Life because it showes you how drugs can effect you alot with your daily life with the after affect on you. I dislike this book because it was all about drugs and how he got HI from them. JAck was a good that could tell a lot of people don't do drugs it will put you in prison.
The Author style was telling his life before he got caught with drugs. The Author style is like telling us JAck flashback of a kid to now when he finally published his book called Hole More...
The Author style was telling his life before he got caught with drugs. The Author style is like telling us JAck flashback of a kid to now when he finally published his book called Hole More...
Nov 05, 2010
Devaughn
rated it:
Devaughn Dancil November 3, 2010
Book Review: Hole in my life
I didn’t want to read this book at first because I only will read interesting books. I read this book in a week and it was a pretty interesting book. The book is about a Florida 19 year old that is still stuck in high school. He is a person who enjoys reading and writing. However, he moves to somewhere else and decides to get a job instead of finishing school. That doesn’t work out for him so he moves back to Florid More...
Book Review: Hole in my life
I didn’t want to read this book at first because I only will read interesting books. I read this book in a week and it was a pretty interesting book. The book is about a Florida 19 year old that is still stuck in high school. He is a person who enjoys reading and writing. However, he moves to somewhere else and decides to get a job instead of finishing school. That doesn’t work out for him so he moves back to Florid More...
Nov 04, 2010
Joshua
rated it:
The book, Hole In My Life, by Jack Gantos is a memoir about a struggle the
author faced during his youth. Hole In My Life took place in the summer of 1971 when
Gantos had the hope of attending college. In his desperation to attain the money he
needed for college, he took someone up on his offer to deliver and sell hash in New York.
Gantos was supposed to receive 10,000 dollars in cash, which was more than what he
needed, afte More...
Oct 28, 2010
Taku
rated it:
This book is full of magical events, and not a fairy tale kind of magic. It grabs your attention because it is just perfectly written, at least in my opinion. For such a good book I think it should be more known throughout the world. Jack Gantos describes his own life and, wonderfully, isn't ashamed of it and doesn't regret doing something he did. I feel related to him in a way that I also want to be a writer when I grow up, but sometimes I just can't get inspired enough. Writing about my own li
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Aug 23, 2010
Patrice
rated it:
GENRE: Nonfiction: Autobiography.
SUBJECT/THEMES: Drug use, drug smuggling, writing, journaling, prison, rehabilitation.
SUMMARY: Jack Gantos tells about a difficult period in his life. He made a poor decision after graduating to accompany a drug runner on a sailboat from St. Croix to New York City. Gantos was lured by the promise of money, $10,000 after he helped the other two involved men to sell off the thousands of pounds of hash. Gantos hoped he could do this, take his More...
SUBJECT/THEMES: Drug use, drug smuggling, writing, journaling, prison, rehabilitation.
SUMMARY: Jack Gantos tells about a difficult period in his life. He made a poor decision after graduating to accompany a drug runner on a sailboat from St. Croix to New York City. Gantos was lured by the promise of money, $10,000 after he helped the other two involved men to sell off the thousands of pounds of hash. Gantos hoped he could do this, take his More...
Nov 24, 2009
Kayla
rated it:
Yet again, another amazing story—this time, its true!
Jack Gantos tells his story of his struggles to attend college and become a writer. He tells of how he ended up in prison and how such experience accelerated his writing career.
The life he lived simply amazes me, the things he faced as a teen were such things I have never experienced. He couldn’t afford to attend college, which led him to an offer he couldn’t deny—an offer that would change his life. Given the choice t More...
Jack Gantos tells his story of his struggles to attend college and become a writer. He tells of how he ended up in prison and how such experience accelerated his writing career.
The life he lived simply amazes me, the things he faced as a teen were such things I have never experienced. He couldn’t afford to attend college, which led him to an offer he couldn’t deny—an offer that would change his life. Given the choice t More...
Nov 24, 2009
Diana
rated it:
“Hole in My Life” by Jack Gantos, I thought, was very well-written. It kept me interested throughout the whole book. Seeing someone who lived a life totally different from my own was eye-opening. You find yourself going through so many emotions as you read. It can be a very beneficial read to students because it’s an actual true story of someone just out of high school and got caught up doing the wrong things. As a writer, I find myself eyeing the many writing techniques he uses to write this bo
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Nov 06, 2009
Kevin
rated it:
This book is a true story about the author's (Jack Gantos) past. At the time, he was 18, out of school, and desperate for money. While he was working for his dad's crate-building business he came across an opportunity to make $10,000 by helping to sail a boat filled with hash into the United States. Because he needed money so badly, he agreed to help smuggle the hash into America without thinking about the possible consequences. He of course gets busted and is sentenced to serve 6 months in pris
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Nov 02, 2009
Braden
rated it:
This is a great book, and it tells an interesting true story. I felt intrigued when I read this book, because it always keeps you interested. What kept me reading were the things that happened in the story and how he describes the events. In a way, I guess you could predict the ending of the story. He gets out of prison and starts his life over which was what I predicted to happen. This would make a good movie, and if it was made into a movie, I would cast Clint Eastwood because he is a good ac
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Oct 23, 2009
what i learned from this books is that, you cant trust everybody and you need to put up with alot of things in order to get somewhere in life. i also learned that if you really want something you will get it, no matter how long it takes you. anther example would be is that you awlays have too look out for your self and for your frineds. you always need to reamber that family comes first and you cant be to naive about your self. i also learned that doing drugs will get you no where, and the whole
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Aug 31, 2009
Sandra
rated it:
This memoir begins with Jack’s prison photo. At nineteen, he casually agreed to help an acquaintance of an acquaintance smuggle a huge amount of drugs on a small boat from the Caribbean to New York City. The consequences of that amorally committed act marked him: he was caught and sent to prison, where he spent, luckily, fifteen months (luckily, because he could have spent six years there, according to his sentence). His narrative is frank and gripping. This book should be required reading
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Dec 06, 2011
Cole
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I think that the author’s purpose was sometimes you have to take big risk in order to do big things, in this book the character wanted to become a writer and go to college. He didn’t have the money so he took an illegal job in order to get the money for him to go to college.
The theme of this book is there are consequences for everything you do, whether they are good or bad consequences. Jack this kid who is not from America is trying to make a good life for himself but not everything is More...
The theme of this book is there are consequences for everything you do, whether they are good or bad consequences. Jack this kid who is not from America is trying to make a good life for himself but not everything is More...
