Hole in My Life
| Author | Jack Gantos |
|---|---|
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Macmillan Publishers |
Publication date | 2002 |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 0312641575 |
| OCLC | 60416727 |
| LC Class | 2001040957 |
Hole in My Life is an American autobiography of Jack Gantos and was published by Macmillan Publishers in 2002. In 2003 the book was honored with Michael L. Printz Award[1] and the same year became a winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal.[2]
Plot
The book is set in 1971 and tells about author's life behind bars. Before he goes to jail he dreams of becoming a writer and becomes inspired by William S. Burroughs who according to his knowledge used to use drugs to go through his life as a writer. Because he dropped out of university in St. Croix, he began using hashish and later joined the sail team.[3] There, his friends became Hamilton and Rik, the later of whom promised him $10,000 if he will sail with him to New York City from Virgin Islands to sell hash to customers. As a result, upon arriving to New York and settling into a hotel, he and his friends were captured by the FBI and were sentenced from 5 to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking. Jack got 5, but because of his well behavior in prison he gets out in 15 months of his sentence.[4] While there he works as an x-ray technician and writes his thoughts in a journal on a copy of The Brothers Karamazov. He gets out of prison a bit earlier because he applies to a university for creative writing course and begins a new life by selling Christmas trees.
Reception
The book was reviewed by Kirkus Reviews[5] and Publishers Weekly.[6]
References
- ↑ "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". Young Adult Library Services. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Robert F. Sibert Medal and Honor Books, 2001-present". American Library Association. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ↑ Keith Gray (February 11, 2005). "Review: Hole in My Life". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ↑ Tom Bodett (May 19, 2002). "Children'S Books; Portrait of the Artist as a Young Convict". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Hole in My Life". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Hole in My Life". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.