Introduction
Gantos, Jack. Hole In My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. Print.
Hole In My Life is an autobigraphical novel that tells the story of Jack Gantos during his youth. Jack is an aspiring writer and in his work he tells his story of how he preserveeres through struggles and setbacks, to become a writer. Growing up Jack spends his life all over the country moving from place to place for his Father's job. When Jack is nineteen his family moves to Puerto Rico, where he spends sometime working with his Father.
Eventually Jack returns to the states in Miami, so that he can graduate high school. Jack has always lived with little supervison, and through that he learns to live on his own. He struggles in trying to live on his own, falling victim to alcohol abuse. Jack is living in a motel by himself while working at a grocery store and going to school, along with that he befreinds Tim. Tim introduces Jack into marijuana and he starts using the drug heavily, in addition Tim encourages Jack to join him in selling and moving large amounts of the drug. After Jack starts investing in the drug game, Tim splits with no tracing as to where he went. Jack drives all across Florida hoping to find his family. While doing so he stops at the homes of historical writers hoping to find inspiration. Jack is eventual reunited with his family where he finds yet another job working with his Father. Through this Jack meets a customer intersted in buying and transporting two pounds of hash. Gantos is unable to make the transaction successfully and is instead caught by the FBI and sentenced to six years in prison. Jack experiences prison violence as a firsthand account, however his experoiences provided his inspiration he had been seeking. He begins writing of his time in prison, in addition he uses his mistakes as the foundation for his writing. It is a story about how Jack,learns from his mistakes, and makes the necessary life changes in order to meet his own dreams and expectations.
Task
The Purpose
- The purpose of reading this book in the classroom would be to help students identify a nonfiction work and how it is both similar and different than other genres.
- The Readers should also be able to understand Jack Gantos as a real person, and explain how Jack being a real person makes him different than characters who are created.
- In reading the work the students should also be able to identify a variety of themes and symbols presented from the text. In addition, the style of writing structure and tone should also be addressed.
- Readers should also understand the perspective from which Jack Gantos is telling his own story from.
Process
http://www.jackgantos.com/books/hole-in-my-life
- This website providesbackground infromation on the author, Jack Gantos. It talks more about his life experiences and how they have inspired him to write other texts. It also tells of various eevents Jack will be at, in additon to providing study guides for other works by Gantos for teachers to utilize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl5I670s8RI
- This video is helpful because it is Gantos talking more in depth of what it was like living through the experiences that inspired him to write the book. He gives powerful insight on how he changed as a person through the process.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bethel.edu/stable/40017517
- This article provides an interview with Gantos where he talks about how he felt as his nineteen year old self in the book, along with how Gantos wished to portray himself and why. The interview also addressed Gantos future in young adult literature.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bethel.edu/stable/40017510
- This review talks about the impact the book can make on young adolescents and even adults. The reviewer also insists that the book shows that anybody from any situation is able to turn their life around and make a difference. Just as Gantos did, it all relies on the individual.
http://www.jackgantos.com/static/pdf/HOLE-IN-MY-LIFE-Teachers-Guide.pdf
- This teacher guide of the book is a very valuable asset to have in the classroom upon teaching it. It provides insight on the wide array of themes, along with talking about the writing style and literary merit. The guide includes reading activities, and helps show ways to enhance students reading abilities in analyzing the text.
Conclusion
Hole in my Life Is a book that very much serves a purpose in the classroom. Especially in an adolescent setting, it is a nonfiction work that is unique in it's plot style, and themes. It is a work that can be great for introducing students to non fiction works. I can see myself utilizing this book in my future classroom with my future students.
Credits
Adlit. ""Hole in My Life"" YouTube. YouTube, 2014. Web. 09 May 2016.
Blasimgame, James. "An Interview with Jack Gantos." An Interview with Jack Gantos 46.1 (2002): 92. JSTOR. Web. 9 May 2016.
Gantos, Jack. "Jack Gantos." Jack Gantos. Jack Gantos, n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.
Nilson, Alleen. "Reviewed Work: Hole in My Life." Journal of Adolecsent and Adult Literacy 46.1 (2002): 86-87. JSTOR. Web. 9 May 2016.
Teacher Page
Zac Villarreal