Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
Posted: November 29, 2011 Filed under: Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos | Tags: Ages 14 and up, Alcohol Abuse, Coming of Age, Crime and Criminals, Drug Use, Growing Up, Illegal Activities, Incarceration, Non-Fiction, Violence Leave a commentBibliographic Information: Gantos, J. (2002). Hole in My Life. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN: 0374399883. 208 pages.
Plot/Content Summary: Sometimes a person does not realize that he is making a huge mistake until it is too late. Sometimes a person forgets to think about the consequences of his actions. Jack Gantos, now an accomplished author of books for pre-teens (including the Joey Pigza series), was in his late teens when he made a mistake that would change his life. In the early 1970’s $10,000 could buy even more than it can now, and that it what Gantos was promised as a payment if he could help a man sail a boat full of hashish from The Caribbean island of St. Croix to New York City. “I didn’t think of the danger involved with braking the law. I didn’t even consider that I had no idea how to sail a large boat…that anything bad could possible happen.” But we know something bad did happen, because Gantos opens the book with a discussion of his time in prison and the fear of random violence he lived with every moment of every day. Always interested in becoming a writer, but never following through, Gantos also started writing in earnest while he was in prison. This memoir was not his first or even second book, it was published over 30 years after he started his life in prison, but his words describe his past life as if the visceral memories or not, in any way, forgotten.
Critical Evaluation: Gantos’ voice is honest and frank. He manages to tell his story with a careful balance to the point of almost being objective. He’s not self-aggrandizing or egomaniacal nor is he overly self-deprecating, all traps into which memoir writers can fall. Gantos’ story is compelling, and though, as mentioned above, readers know from the start (the front cover shows his mugs hot) that Gantos will end up in prison, the path to get there take enough twists and turns that the story is still suspenseful and engaging. There are parts of the story that could probably have been edited a bit to speed up the pace, it felt a little long at times, but overall this book is well worth the read. There are many episodes from Gantos’ life that could inspire interesting and exciting class, book group, or family discussions. There are lessons to be learned from Gantos, not because he preaches and not because he feels sorry for himself, but because he earns his readers’ respect through sometimes brutal honesty and his willingness to make himself vulnerable and open for to truly see him and learn from his mistakes.
Reader’s Annotation: In the early 1970’s, Jack in Gantos was an aspiring writer who didn’t have the money he needed to attend college, and he was in a job he hated. So, when he was offered $10,000 to help sail a shipment of drugs from the Caribbean to New York City he said, “Count me in.”
Information about the Author: Jack Gantos is an award-winning author of children’s, tween young adult, and adult books. As a child he wanted to become a writer, in fact, according to his website, “The seeds for Jack Gantos’ writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister’s diary and decided he could write better than she could.”
It was in college that Gantos published his first children’s book; he received a BA and an MA from Emerson College in Boston. At Emerson he became an instructor in children’s book writing and eventually created a masters program in children’s book writing. Gantos also taught at Vermont College in the M.F.A. program for children’s book writers. “He now devotes his time to writing books and educational speaking.” (Jack Gantos’ Bio & Photos)
Genre/Category: Non-Fiction, Coming of Age, Suspense, Crime
Topics Covered: Drug Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Illegal Activities, Incarceration, Growing Up, Coming of Age
Curriculum Ties: Health, Responsible Decision Making, Drug Abuse, Alcohol Abuse
Booktalking Ideas:
- The immense and intense fear Gantos felt in prison
- Can one mistake ruin your whole life?
Reading Level/Interest Age: Ages 14 and up
Challenge Issues: Drug Use, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Selling, Illegal Activities.
Why is this book included? Hole in my Life won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert honors; it is a compelling and moving story of a young man facing himself and not liking what he sees sometimes. It is non-fiction with all of the drama of fiction and the emotional honesty only a memoir can provide. In other words, it’s a great book, and a great addition to a non-fiction section for young adults.
References:
Gantos, J. (n.d.). Jack Gantos’ Bio & Photos. Retrieved from http://www.jackgantos.com.vhost.zerolag.com/bio-photos/
Tyrell by Coe Booth
Posted: September 12, 2011 Filed under: Tyrell by Coe Booth | Tags: Ages 15-19, Coming of Age, Homelessness, Incarceration, Issues, Life Is Hard, Love, Poverty, Racism, Realistic Fiction, Truancy, Urban Fiction Leave a commentBibliographic Information: Booth, C. (2006). Tyrell. New York, NY: Push Fiction. ISBN, 9780439838801. 310 pages.
Plot Summary: Fifteen-year-old Tyrell does not have what anyone would call an easy life. His father is in prison for illegal activities he participated in trying to earn money to pay the ret and put food on the family’s dinner table. His mother seems unable, or unwilling, to provide for or even take care of either of her two sons; Tyrell seems to be the only one looking out for his seven-year-old brother, Troy. The family’s financial problems are so dire that they can’t make the rent payments on their apartment in the projects, and, so their shelter is being provided by the New York City Emergency Assistance Unit. Tyrell calls it “the E-A-U,” and it is not a place he or anyone he knows wants to be living. But, living there, Tyrell is, in the roach-infested Bennett Motel, “The place look like a bombed-out building from the outside, like something you see in them war movies. Inside it ain’t no better. The place stink like old sneakers, probably ‘cause there ain’t no fresh air in here,” (Booth, 2006, p. 19).
At the EAU Tyrell meets Jasmine, a teenage girl in an equally difficult family situation. Tyrell and Jasmine hit it off, they can understand each other in ways Tyrell’s other friends cannot, and Tyrell finds Jasmine extremely attractive. But this attraction is complicated by the fact that Tyrell loves his girlfriend, Novisha, very much and has his whole future planned out with her. Confused by his feelings and living in chaos, Tyrell has a lot on his mind, too much, in fact, for him to bother going to school, a place that he feels is useless. But, even with all of these obstacles, Tyrell comes up with a plan to make some money and get his family an apartment. Is Tyrell a survivor? Will his plan work?
Critical Evaluation: Written in the language of the streets, Tyrell, portrays a stark and harsh world, where a fifteen-year-old is left with way more responsibility than he should have. The indignities and difficulties of homelessness are palpable and Booth’s descriptions of settings provide realistic and disturbing images of the reality that families like Tyrell’s face daily. The story was born of Booth’s experiences as a caseworker, helping families in crisis in New York City, lending it authenticity and veracity. Tyrell’s voice is strong and presents his conflicts in a such a genuine way that readers will likely feel connected to Tyrell and those who have been where he is will hear themselves in his voice, and readers who have not experienced what Tyrell is going through will wonder, “what would I do in that situation?” The words in this novel are carefully chosen and put together. The characters are multi-dimensional, their complexity parallels the complexity of Tyrell’s world, a world beautifully and painfully rendered in Booth’s novel. My one concern about the story is that Tyrell’s mother is portrayed in a stereotypical way as lazy and neglectful and someone who takes advantage of the system. While I do not doubt that there are people who fit this description, it is important to point this out, to make sure that a collection contains a diversity of books that portray urban life, so readers have a chance to see a variety of characters and situations. Additionally, this issue, as well as many of the books’ themes, would make excellent class or book group discussion topics.
Reader’s Annotation: Homeless and broke, fifteen-year-old Tyrell doesn’t have it easy. With his father in prison and his mother is in denial, it seems up to him to care for his seven-year-old little brother and navigate New York City’s social services agencies.
Information about the Author: Coe Booth grew up in the Bronx, NY, and held several jobs working to help families in crisis in the Bronx. The story of Tyrell was inspired by real teens Booth knew and helped, and the book Tyrell grew out of a writing assignment for a creative writing class.
Genre: Issues, Realistic Fiction, Urban Fiction
Subgenres/Themes: Issues: Life is Hard: Homelessness and Foster Living
Topics Covered: Homelessness, Poverty, Truancy, Love, Racism, Incarceration, sexuality
Curriculum Ties: Social Science
Booktalking Ideas: The description of Tyrell’s anger, conversation between Tyrell and his mother where she suggests he should sell drugs to support the family.
Reading Level/Interest Age: 15-19
Challenge Issues: Sexuality, sexual activity, language, smoking, drug use, truancy, illegal activities
Why is this book included? Tyrell was well received by critics and won The Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Young Adult Novel. It is included in this blog because of its excellence as a novel and because it provides a unique and often underrepresented perspective to a young adult collection.
References:
Jones, P. (2007). Tyrell. Multicultural Review, 16(1), 94.
Margolis, R. (2007). A Bronx Tale. School Library Journal, 53(2), 32.
Prince, J. (2009). Keeping It Real: An Interview with Coe Booth. Teacher Librarian, 36(4), 62-3.
Soriano, C. (2006). Tyrell. School Library Journal, 52(11), 129-130.