Hole in My Life (2002) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 3 stars

“This was an interesting autobiography. It had some rough language and rough concepts, but I did actually enjoy reading it. It is crazy that his experiences in jail were what made him a successful writer. This book is definitely geared to older young adults.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Children's author Jack Gantos' autobiographical story of events and mistakes which led to his career as a writer. I found it inspiring to hear that he was a voracious reader during all his youth even during drug dealing and heavy use himself, confirming again for me the power of story in men's lives.”

• Rated 5 stars

“The whole time while I was reading this book, my jaw was dropping open. I couldn't believe this guy got himself into such a mess and yet his humor remained. This book is deeply personal and one that I read in a matter of days. Gantos has such voice in his writing and puts himself out there on the page in such a way that you feel like a friend of his by the end of the book. Excellent read. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“This book is about a man by the name Jack Gantos. Jack was in high school when he fell in love with the idea of writing. He would always go to writing workshops held at his school. While he was attending high school in the states, his father and the rest of his family were living in Puerto Rico while his father was managing his construction company. Soon enough Jack was in Puerto Rico working for his father to help his family earn enough money to get by in life. He eventually turned to drinking and smoking marijuana while he was in Puerto Rico. This wasn't the first time he has done this, he used to do it back when he was living by himself in the states while he was in high school. Eventually he started selling drugs so he could save up for college and to help his family. But all the money started going to his head when he is offered ten thousand dollars to help smuggle drugs into New York with some other guys he met in Puerto rico. Then the FBI was after him and his crew and eventually they were caught and couldn't do anything about it. Jack Gantos was sentenced up to six years in prison. While he was in prison, Jack still loved to read and write. He kept a journal in one of his books and wrote in between the margins. Eventually he wrote this book to tell the world his experiences and what he went through. This book was an excellent book in which I would recommend to anyone. Therefore I would rate this book a perfect five out of five.”

• Rated 5 stars

“The setting goes along with the way Jack Gantoz feels. If he feels like he wants to go to college, he goes to college. When he wants money he travels, sells what he needs to sell, and makes money that way. He's never stayed in one place longer than a couple months. He moves from state to state and always finds a good home, surrounded by good people.”

• Rated 0 stars

“I haven't read this one, but Jack Gantos is a very talented author. I think his autobiography would be very interesting.”

• Rated 4 stars

“ This book Hole in my Life by Jack Gantos was definitely one of my favorite books I've ever read. This book starts out with a young man living the struggle. Unsure of how he'll pay for college, unsure about how he will become successful. He's given the opportunity to make ten thousand dollars cash and take a boat around the east coast for weeks to help smuggle some hash into New York and to sell it to make profit. He was caught and sentenced to up to six years in prison.
Honestly, I enjoyed this book greatly. I don't often find books that I actually read to the end but I finished it! This book compared to others I have read is probably the best. I'm beginning to enjoy reading much more now because of this book. I just need to find the right books for me, and this one felt right. I like Gantos' writing style. I liked how at the very beginning he got right to the point. He gets to the point and is straight up with his readers. I would most definitely recommend this to friends of mine and also to any high school student.

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• Rated 5 stars

“ One of my new favorite books is hole in my life by Jack Gantos. This book is about a struggling writer trying to make his big break. In this book he is short cash has no education and is trying to make it on his own. To make money and get into a good college he agrees to help some people smuggle drugs on a sailboat for money. This story truly kept me wanting more and making me want to keep reading, I would recommend this book to anyone of my friends. I would recommend this book to high school and college students due to the uses and selling of illegal drugs. I plan on reading more of this author in the future. This book is for people who want to learn about courage and redemption.”

• Rated 3 stars

“YA author details a difficult time in his life that proves pivotal to his life as a writer. Keynote speaker at 2012 Colorado Association of Libraries.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Hole In My Life is an autobiography about Jack Gantos. The book immediately caught my attention by the first few sentences: "The prisoner in the photograph is me. The ID number is mine." Gantos was just an aspiring young writer who wanted to go to college and made all the wrong decisions of getting there. He agreed to take part in smuggling Hash from the U.S. Virgin Islands all the way to New York for ten thousand dollars. After getting caught by the FBI, he was taken to prison in Ashland, Nevada and does everything he can to get out. Throughout the entire book, he shows examples of grit, integrity, humor, bravery and especially his love of learning; after all, he only smuggled to earn enough money for college!”