His parents had moved to st croix in the virgin islands, but he was. 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 shortlived career as a criminal, and his time in prison. Jack gantos was a troubled teenager who could not set his priorities straight. One day, this guy comes and asks for a crate with a secret section. In the summer of 1971, jack gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuition, and a way out of a deadend job. In the summer of 1971, jack gantos was an aspiring writer desperate for adventure, college cash, and a way out of a deadend job. Mar 26, 2002 hole in my life by jack gantos 200 pages jack gantos, author of childrens books, writes his autobiographical account of how, lost and adrift i have learned this. Would you like to make ten thousand dollars selling a boat. Hole in my life character analysis freebooksummary.
Its also a hopeful narrative of one mans ability to overcome early obstacles and achieve success despite the odds. Pdf joey pigza swallowed the key by jack gantos download in pdf or epub online. 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 deadend job. The trouble in me by jack gantos middle school, high school farrar. For one thing, jack does some dumb stuff for a brainy kid. Rotten ralph, for example, was inspired by an aggressive red cat that gantos once owned. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. If there is a sparknotes, shmoop, or cliff notes guide, we. In part i, chapter 4 gantos refers to on the road by jack kerouac.
We didnt so much arrive at our destinations as aim and crash into them like kamikaze yachtsmen. The book hole in my life by jack gantos is a very well written novel that gives the reader a detailed understanding of one young mans travel through life. Just 20 years old, gantos was in a medium security prison for his participation in a getrichquick drug scam. So gantos describes himself as a 20yearold about to be arrested and imprisoned for smuggling two thousand pounds of hashish from st. In hole in my life by jack gantos a young boy named jack makes a fatal mistake of jumping into things for money. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers. Jack gantos lives with his wife and daughter in boston, massachusetts. Three stories from separate times in history are combined in holes to create one story and to create a theme of the importance of history. In hole in my life, jack gantos recounts the story of his time as an idle teenager turned drug smuggler, including his eventual capture by the government and his time spent in ashford federal penitentiary, in kentucky. Hole in my life summary and analysis like sparknotes free book. Nov 29, 2011 jack gantos, now an accomplished author of books for preteens including the joey pigza series, was in his late teens when he made a mistake that would change his life. While his journey is difficult, his optimism and his writing eventually lead him to the proper path, and into a wonderful. Lauderdale, florida, yet additionally lives for a concise minute in puerto rico and st. In his memoir a hole in my life he tells us the story of his own.
In 1971 jack gantos was scraping through his final year of high school. Summary the book hole in my life is an autobiography of jack gantos life in prison and what lead up to it. In hole in my life, jack gantos recounts an experience from his own life that many other writers would rather keep hidden from public view. Apr 24, 2012 hole in my life will leave anything but a hole in the readers life.
Jack gantos born july 2, 1951 is an american author of childrens books. Feb 11, 2005 hole in my life by jack gantos 224pp, red fox. He is best known for the fictional characters rotten ralph and joey pigza. Hole in my life is a gripping account of his incarceration, written with unsparing honesty.
This fiery autobiographical novel captures a pivotal week or two in the life of 14yearold jack gantos, as the author reveals the moment he began to slide off track as a kid who in just a few years would find himself locked up in a federal penitentiary for the crimes portrayed in the memoir hole in my life. Dead end in norvelt, winner of the newbery medal and the. Authenticsounding firstperson narration by a hyperactive boy gives readers an inside view of attentiondeficit disorders. Drawing from his own experiences, gantos hole in my life has inspired hope in many readers. A video interview with jack gantos reading rockets. Teenage readers will appreciate jack gantoss frankness in his jail memoir, hole in my life, says keith gray. Hole in my life is the autobiographical story of jack gantos during his younger years. Best known for his insightful writing for children, jack gantos departs from his earlier work in hole in my life to discuss mature themes. The book hole in my life is an autobiography of jack gantos life in prison and what lead up to it. May have been a little boring at times when he was in prison and on the boat but an overall good book with meaning.
Hole in my life by jack gantos 2002, hardcover for sale. Hole in my life by jack gantos is a story of one young mans struggle to become a writer. To inquire about borrowing multiple copies of hole in my li. Hole in my life part 1, chapter 1 summary freebooksummary. His impulsive nature and lack of basic knowledge affects. Author interview jack gantos, author of the trouble in. In just two hundred pages, gantos provides a chilling account of his late teenage life. To begin with, gantos utilizes the underlying part to clarify only that the close finish of his journal will be with him imprisoned in 1972, on. The narrator is given information from all three stories but stanley and zero only know the history that has been passed down to them through stories and song.
As he explains in a call from his boston home, when you finished one, you had a book. Hole in my life major character analysis supersummary. Themes of hole in my life by colin cameron on prezi. Rotten ralph is a cat who stars in twenty picture books written by gantos, and illustrated by nicole rubel from 1976 to 2014.
Jack is our herobut to be honest, hes not much of a hero, at least at first. In jack gantos hole in my life, he describes an event, or rather, a series of related events, that helped him to realize that he was actually able to pull from his own life experiences to become something he always dreamed of being. In the summer of 1971, jack gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuition, and a. Jack gantos conclussion i think that hole in my life was a good book. Croix to new york city, and the time he spent in prison after being busted. Feb 21, 2010 hole in my life is an autobiography of jack gantos life leading up to, and life in jail. Hole in my life is an autobiography of jack gantos life leading up to, and life in jail. For ten thousand dollars, he recklessly agreed to help sail a sixtyfoot yacht loaded with hashish from the virgin islands to new york city, where he and his partners sold the drug until federal agents finally caught up to them in a bust at the chelsea hotel. Since i was trying so hard to make books lead my life, i didnt want to read them and then just put them back on the shelf and say, good book, as if i was patting a good dog. Jack gantos makes a series of mistakes throughout his autobiography, but instead of being beaten by them he uses them to his advantage as much as he can. Listen to hole in my life audiobook by jack gantos. Oct 10, 2017 jack gantos is an american author of childrens books most famously known for joey pigza swallowed the key 1998. This fiery autobiographical novel captures a pivotal week or two in the life of fourteenyearold jack gantos, as the author reveals the moment he began to slide off track as a kid who in just a few years would find himself locked up in a federal penitentiary for the crimes portrayed in the memoir hole in my life.
Ironically, it was during his time in prison that gantos developed the discipline required to become a writer. A gaping hole of misery is what popular young adult author jack gantos remembers when he thinks back to 1972, the bleakest year of my life. Jack was in prison for smuggling marijuana from st. While his journey is difficult, his optimism and his writing eventually lead him to the proper path, and into a wonderful writing career. For ten thousand dollars, he recklessly agreed to help sail.
Living abroad for part of his childhood, gantos learned how to navigate the world his own way. This 40page guide for hole in my life by jack gantos includes detailed chapter. The following is an excerpt from the book hole in my life by jack gantos. Hole in my life by jack gantos 2012, paperback for sale. Jack gantos interesting life has provided the raw material for many of his books. Hole in my life by jack gantos 200 pages jack gantos, author of childrens books, writes his autobiographical account of how, lost and adrift i have learned this. Ive never read that book, so i looked up a synopsis. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. I certainly believe this to be true hole in my life when jacks family moves to san juan jack cannot go to. Someone once said anyone can be great under rosy circumstances, but the true test of character is measured by how well a person makes decisions during difficult times.
In the beginning of hole in my life, gantos finds himself unable to attend high school in san juan, as he is unable to speak spanish. Gantos is an awardwinning childrens author, but his compelling autobiography will appeal to readers of all ages. Great quotes for this section are famous ones, cool ones, or quotes that you might just have thought were. He moved from wanting to be a writer to writing and this new found dedication helped him endure the worst experience of his life. Gantos, desperate for cash for college and willing to take a risk, runs a boatload of hashish from the virgin islands to new york. After finishing the novel in one sitting, gantos deserves five stars for giving his readers a relatable and believable story, in which he perceived his own life experiences. For ten thousand dollars, he recklessly agreed to help sail a sixtyfoot yacht loaded with hashish from the virgin islands to new york city, where he and his partners sold the drug until federal agents finally caught up to them in a bust at. It tell how his childhood ended when he was sent to prison for smuggling. The jack henry middlegrade fiction series was based on gantos own adventures as a boy. Analysis of hole in my life by jack gantos 36 words.
Jack gantos in the summer of 1971, jack gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuition, and a way out of a deadend job. It starts out with a flashback on his prison life, and gives a brief overview of his life and. Okay, we dont know for sure that hes skinnybut we imagine he is. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read hole in my life. Hole in my life npr coverage of hole in my life by jack gantos. Hole in my life from the newbery awardwinning author of dead end in norvelt, this is a memoir about becoming a writer the hard way. Additionally, anyone who relishes a true life account filled with downfall and deliverance will enjoy mr. The book is about the time gantos sailed a boat that was full of hashish from st. This was a life quite unlike those of many other children. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of holes and what it means. Mar 26, 2002 jack gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middlegrade fiction to novels for young adults and adults.
The photo was taken in 1972 at the mediumsecurity federal correctional institution in ashland, kentucky. Gantos was a young man with little supervision who led a life that involved. Click below to download the full study guide for hole in my life. In the early 1970s, the future didnt look very bright for the 20yearold gantos, who was arrested for his involvement in a drug smuggling scheme and sent to a. Jack gantos, now an accomplished author of books for preteens including the joey pigza series, was in his late teens when he made a mistake that would change his life.
For ten thousand dollars, he recklessly agreed to help sail a sixtyfoot yacht loaded with a ton of hashish from the virgin islands to new york. Joey pigza is a wiredup mess, and he is struggling to get on the right. Find all available study guides and summaries for hole in my life by jack gantos. But the authors path to the writing life wasnt quite as linear as a row of. Conflict man vs man man vs self another person he is always having. The awardwinning joey pigza books resulted from gantos interactions with children with adhd. This talented author provides his audience with a triumphant biography that his myriad of fans will enjoy.
Instead, hes a skinny twelveyearold with a tendency to get nosebleeds and not much of a backbone. In the summer of 1971, the young gantos, desperate for cash for college and willing to take a risk, runs a boatload of. In hole in my life, jack gantos recounts the story of his time as an idle teenager turned drug smuggler, including his eventual capture by the government and his time spent in. Joey pigza swallowed the key pdf epub download ebook. Hole in my life is an autobiography by jack gantos. The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all. Hole in my life is an american autobiography of jack gantos and was published by macmillan publishers in 2002.
Gantos was a young man with little supervision who led a life that involved many moves and opportunities. Download free pdf ebook today they say i m wired bad or wired sad but there s no doubt about it i m wired joey. Hole in my life by jack gantos is a story of the authors young adulthood, where his mistakes lead him to prison. This novel is narrated and told from the point of view of jack gantos. Kerouac presents sal paradise, a young and innocent writer, and dean moriarty, a crazy youth tremendously excited with life racing around america, and testing the limits of the american dream. You could put a rubber band around it and put it on a shelf.
For years, jack gantos wrote in journals with no lines, so you could draw and write. May 07, 2014 hole in my life can be found in our catalog here. Printz award and the same year became a winner of the robert f. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Look straight ahead jack gantos starts gap in my existence with a forthright proclamation. September 2004 gantos is an awardwinning childrens author, but his compelling autobiography will appeal to readers of all ages. Hole in my life by jack gantos by caleb shelby on prezi. Gantos message that writing not only saved, but filled the hole in my life. His works include hole in my life, a memoir that won the michael l. But in the end, jacks moral compass never completely abandons him.
This 40page guide for hole in my life by jack gantos includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 16 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. In the summer of 1971, the young gantos, desperate for cash for college and willing to take a risk, runs a boatload of hashish from the virgin islands to new york city. Jack gantos memoir, hole in my life follows gantos winding and troubled journey to becoming the acclaimed author he is today. I wanted books to change me, and i wanted to write books that would change others. 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. Jul 22, 2003 listen to hole in my life audiobook by jack gantos.
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