But the only arm I managed to warm up was on the slot machines. They're just happy to be alive. This was a life quite unlike those of many other children. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. On the weekends they'd fly home and I'd drink a little too much and wander around the tourist zones. . It is a very popular choice. HOLE IN MY LIFE Jack Gantos, Author, Jack Gantos, Read by. Read by the author. Luckily, FreeBookSummary offers study guides on over 1000 top books from students’ curricula! They were nice older guys who flew in from Miami every week to make fast money working double shifts. I wasn't prepared for it, and I've never forgotten it. Three short, and two tall. He pointed out bank robbers, church robbers, car thieves, and a shadowy "second floor" man, known for snatching jewelry from the bedrooms of sleeping homeowners. Develop your blank stare. These are the chords. Then, once we were settled, Dad would continue to point out the criminals, all the while using his Irish whisper, which could be heard in the next town over. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. This is a tale of courage and redemption, proving that a bad start in life does not have to lead to a bad life story.” ―The New York Times Book Review, “Gantos really is Everyman, but an Everyman who has landed himself into a deeper pit than most. Unable to add item to List. IntroductionIn Hole in My Life, Jack Gantos recounts an experience from his own life that many other writers would rather keep hidden from public view. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Section 2, Chapter 3 shows Gantos knew little of smuggling, as he took photos of Hamilton. There's the MOOSE who loved MOUSSE and ATE EIGHT bowls, and the WHALE who was ALLOWED to WAIL ALOUD—and that's ... Three humans and two catsFive creatures live in our house. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Then back in my cell I would sit on the edge of my bunk with my journal spread open across my knees and try to capture their stories with my own words. The sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award FinalistWhen Joey Pigza "These folks zigged when the rest of the world zagged. I was promptly informed that I had to pack my bags and be out of their lives in an hour. Jack Gantos. I will now have 5 books in my library so that students can read and discuss this book together. Half of the existing hotel was shut down while we added two new floors. New friends were always around the corner. . When I came to the next afternoon, after the carpet cleaners had finished their work, I was summoned into the kitchen, which had been closed off with plastic sheeting and heavily sprayed with institutional-strength air freshener. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. And a menacing stranger. “A memoir, by turns harrowing and hilarious, about a huge mistake.” —Miami Herald“His account is remarkably free of both self-pity and self-censorship. Link/Page Citation Jack Gantos. You'd think they would want something snazzy-looking. Gantos used books to comfort himself in times of trouble,to distract him from his problems. 2002/2003. Stolen Gold. I called these men "skulls" and they were freaks for violence. After students have had the chance to complete their research using print and nonprint materials, their information could be presented in the form of a traditional report,a Power Point presentation, or a Web site designed to provide readers with links to sites related to the individual topics. During my junior year my parents had moved the family from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On the plane down to Puerto Rico I figured I'd never see them again, and I'm sure they thought the same of me. He probably didn't want the level of violence and sex among both prisoners and guards to be documented. ... Three humans and two catsFive creatures live in our house. I suddenly felt sick all over again. Just 20 years old, Gantos was in a medium security prison for his participation in a get-rich-quick drug scam. I was called on day and night to X-ray all types of ugly wounds to see if the bones behind the bruised or bleeding flesh had been cracked, chipped, or broken. No one has time to read them all, but it’s important to go over them at least briefly. Dad snapped his fingers. For this job, he is to receive $10,000. His examination of the process--including his unsparing portrayal of his fears, failings, and false starts--is brilliant and breathtaking in its candor and authenticity. Rik is busted and snitches beforeHamilton and Gantos even arrive in NewYork. He'd take me to the Elks Club, or the Am-Vets hall, or Hecla Gun Club in order to get up close and personal with some of the criminal class. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Hole in My Life Introduction Read the Introduction on pages 7–9 in Hole in My Life. All this was my father's way of letting me know he was in the know—he had the dirt on everyone, and it was the dirt that made them interesting. As I stumbled out of the house, Mr. Bacon hollered out one final warning: "Keep this up and you'll fall flat on your ass.". You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. .This is a story of mistakes, dues, redemption, and finally success at what he always wanted to do: write books.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review. The constant tempo of that violence pulsed throughout my body and made me feel small, and weak, and cowardly. When I reenrolled as a senior at Sunrise High, no one asked about the second half of my junior year, and I didn't volunteer any information. . He knew it all. After six months on the job I had saved enough money to afford a private school. Using short, meaty sentences, Gantos manages to write in a way that dismisses the dubious "romance" of prison, drugs, and "life on the edge" without ever sounding didactic or heavy-handed. Mark my words.". AIDS wasn't a factor then. This book deserves five stars because it keeps the reader hooked throughout the story, never dulls the readers interest, and shines a light on the life of an author who has overcome a lot and still become extremely successful. 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 short-lived career as a criminal, and his time in prison. Hole in My Life offers teachers the chance to utilize a text that is nonfiction in genre yet employs several of the same techniques used in fiction. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. In the summer of 1971, Jack Gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuition, and a way out of a dead-end job. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Of music? Your number could come up anywhere, anytime—in the dark of night while you slept in a dormitory with a hundred other men, or in full daylight on the exercise field while you strolled in the sun. However, the book's real strength lies in the window it gives into the mind of an adolescent without strong family support and living in the easy drug culture of the 1970s. My entire year was a grand balancing act between doing what I wanted and doing what I should, and being who I was while inventing who I wanted to be: a writer with something important to say. Ages 12-up. "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos is a story of one young man's struggle to become a writer. Cardboard; content, author notes. Questions such as these are central to the study of how individuals develop from youth to adulthood. And a menacing stranger. When I look at my face in the photo I see nothing but the pocked mask I was hiding behind. I had a fake ID. Hole in My Life is a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Why do you think Gantos was enamored of the life described by Kerouac?What connections do you see between Gantos and Kerouac?n "I have learned this: it is not what one does that is wrong, but what one becomes as a consequence of it." 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." What separates Gantos is the determination that took him out of his dreams and into a successful life as a writer. Mr. and Mrs. Bacon had limb disabilities themselves—he with a missing arm and she without a left foot—and so were well suited for their business. "Look at his hands. This is a tale of courage and redemption, proving that a bad start in life does not have to lead to a bad life story.” —The New York Times Book Review“Gantos really is Everyman, but an Everyman who has landed himself into a deeper pit than most. While his journey is difficult, his optimism and his writing eventually lead him to the proper path, and into a wonderful writing career. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. I had spending money. But that is not to be. He grew up with the talent and desire for reading and writing. Just 20 years old, Gantos was in a medium security prison for his participation in a get-rich-quick drug scam. 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 short-lived career as a criminal, and his time in prison.