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A review by yodalover8
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
4.0
REQUIRED CATEGORY
Jack Gantos' memoir is fascinating! It documents his experience of graduating high school and later getting involved with a drug dealer. He starts smuggling and selling drugs in the United States because he wants to get money to pay for college. He truly embodies the phrase, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Though Gantos acknowledges he made many mistakes in his youth, it is also clear that he is not a bad person. He is trying to forge a new life for himself, but he gets caught and ends up going to prison. Gantos shows young adults some of the horrors of prison, but shields them from others. Though some of the content is challenging, I found the story to ultimately be very uplifting as Gantos is eventually released from prison and goes to college. I would recommend this to young adults because I don't think it advocates drug use or crime, but I think it clearly teaches about the power of choices and the lasting influence of consequences.
One question I had from reading Gantos' memoir was about the role of regret. Does the text show that he regrets the choices that led him to prison? When he spends his first few days in prison and hears about the rape of his co-hort, that appears to be Gantos' first signs of regret. Prior to that, even when he was facing a trial and returned to New York, Gantos seemed blase. He recognized that he had done something illegal without feeling remorse. The longer he stays in prison, the more injuries he witnesses, and the less hope he has, the more his regret builds. Surprisingly at the end of the memoir, Gantos traces everything he presently loves about his life to his experience in prison. He says that the only way he could become the writer he is was by going to prison. He seems to suggest that he doesn't regret all of his mistakes because it has caused him to evolve into. This offers hope to readers--young and old--who have made poor choices. Gantos' life stands as a witness that there is life and rehabilitation after drastic mistakes. He shows that there is always hope, which is something I wasn't expecting when I picked up this memoir about a teenager in prison.
I really enjoyed this memoir. I would suggest it to young readers, but I have realized that sexual and drug content combined with language are offensive to some readers. I do not know if I would give a blanket recommendation of this story, but I would feel comfortable recommending it to certain individuals who are in middle and high school.
Jack Gantos' memoir is fascinating! It documents his experience of graduating high school and later getting involved with a drug dealer. He starts smuggling and selling drugs in the United States because he wants to get money to pay for college. He truly embodies the phrase, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Though Gantos acknowledges he made many mistakes in his youth, it is also clear that he is not a bad person. He is trying to forge a new life for himself, but he gets caught and ends up going to prison. Gantos shows young adults some of the horrors of prison, but shields them from others. Though some of the content is challenging, I found the story to ultimately be very uplifting as Gantos is eventually released from prison and goes to college. I would recommend this to young adults because I don't think it advocates drug use or crime, but I think it clearly teaches about the power of choices and the lasting influence of consequences.
One question I had from reading Gantos' memoir was about the role of regret. Does the text show that he regrets the choices that led him to prison? When he spends his first few days in prison and hears about the rape of his co-hort, that appears to be Gantos' first signs of regret. Prior to that, even when he was facing a trial and returned to New York, Gantos seemed blase. He recognized that he had done something illegal without feeling remorse. The longer he stays in prison, the more injuries he witnesses, and the less hope he has, the more his regret builds. Surprisingly at the end of the memoir, Gantos traces everything he presently loves about his life to his experience in prison. He says that the only way he could become the writer he is was by going to prison. He seems to suggest that he doesn't regret all of his mistakes because it has caused him to evolve into. This offers hope to readers--young and old--who have made poor choices. Gantos' life stands as a witness that there is life and rehabilitation after drastic mistakes. He shows that there is always hope, which is something I wasn't expecting when I picked up this memoir about a teenager in prison.
I really enjoyed this memoir. I would suggest it to young readers, but I have realized that sexual and drug content combined with language are offensive to some readers. I do not know if I would give a blanket recommendation of this story, but I would feel comfortable recommending it to certain individuals who are in middle and high school.