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Gantos, Jack. Hole in My Life Jack Gantos. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2002.

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Junior year of high school, Jack's family left Florida and moved to San Juan because his father found a new job. There, Jack went into work instead of school, getting a job at a construction site for a hotel.

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After six months of working, Jack flew back to Florida. Making the decision to get his high school diploma, Jack's father made arrangements for him to live with the Bacon family.

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Jack was kicked out of the Bacon's house after leaving a mess from excessive drinking the night before. He eventually stumbled across an old motel called "The King's Court".

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During his stay in "The King's Court," Jack would see Seminoles "shout and parade around in their native costume as they called on the spirit of Chief Osceola to help them regain their homeland." (34).

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Jack was accepted to the University of Florida, but decided not to go after realizing that this school was not what he wanted.

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Jack decided that he would work in his father's new company and save money to enroll in a better college, saying that "helping my father, saving a few bucks, and writing on my own was all the purpose I needed" (42).

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Jack's friend, Tim Scanlon, had come to visit and hang out with Jack before moving in with his parents. Tim asked Jack if he wanted to sell some weed and make some cash, and Jack agreed. However, after giving him $200 to buy the drugs, Tim never called Jack back. A couple days later, Jack decided to call Tim's house number. Tim picks up and reveals that he was caught with the drugs and lost all of Jack's money. Jack was very bummed out, and retreated to a bar, where he would smoke and drink until he passed out.

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Jack, "charged up with a newfound desire to write [...] drove all day in the rain like a maniac toward the Keys" (48). Unfortunately for Jack, there was a tropical storm headed North from Cuba that might hit the keys. Nonetheless, Jack kept speeding down the causeway, somehow ecstatic about the whole encounter. When he got to the Keys, he found a motel and stayed the night. In the morning, the storm was gone, and the TV was playing a documentary on the "Great Hurricane of 1935".

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Jack arrived in St. Croix, but all his father's construction jobs had been canceled. Instead, they built large wooden packing crates, and were paid in room and board. Because of this, Jack was unable to save money up for college.

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"Where There is Blood, There is Ink" (10)

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"Where There is Blood, There is Ink" (10)

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Looking for something significant to write about, Jack decides to interview a group of black activists about the racial tension in St. Croix. The tension had always run high, but "The tension mounted when a radical black party, based on the Black Panthers, formed and publicly called for white extermination [...] Homes were broken into. People were murdered. Stores were looted." (58).

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One of the interviewee tells Jack, "You just turn your white ass around and go back to the white bar you come from and drink a cold white man's beer while you can because as the song say, 'When the revolution comes, Hertz is not going to put you in the drivers seat.' " (64)

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Gil Scott-Heron - Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Official Audio)

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On the way back from the deal, Hamilton noticed something strange -- someone was following them. He quickly went off the road and sped into the grassy median. When they got back to the boat, the marina owner told them that their boat had broke away from the dock, but "two men came up in a launch and boarded her [...] Were they friends of yours?" (108).

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Jack's new friend, Rik, makes a deal with him. If Jack agrees to help sail a boat with Rik's friend, Hamilton, smuggle 2000 pounds of hashish into New York, and help sell the hash, they would pay him $10,000 cash. Jack, only thinking about the money, agrees to the deal.

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Spanning from July 15th to August 6th, Jack documented his experience every day aboard the ship. He recorded these on a book the size of a dictionary. This book he found also had the name of the ship, "Beaver," on the cover.

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Jack and Hamilton accidentally enter the "Home of the Coast Guard training base," in Cape May, New Jersey. Jack and Hamilton were both incredibly scared of a customs check, but the cadets were nice, and they escorted them back onto shore without any problems.

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After docking the boat, Jack and Hamilton waited for Rik to show up with his car. They weighed and bagged 250 pounds of hash, which they would then sell to a guy named Jerome. When the three of them met up with Jerome, he took them to his house, where his friend would arrive with the money. However, after a while, Jerome's friend still hadn't shown up yet, and Jerome convinced the three to stay the night. In the morning, Jerome's friend arrived, and the three were able to sell the hash.

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On the way back from the deal, Hamilton noticed something strange -- someone was following them. He quickly went off the road and sped into the grassy median. When they got back to the boat, the marina owner told them that their boat had broke away from the dock, but "two men came up in a launch and boarded her [...] Were they friends of yours?" (108). The three of them knew it was the cops, but they kept that to themselves.

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After the incident with the boat, the three of them stayed in the Chelsea Hotel. Rik kept track of the records and sales, and Jack delivered the hash all around town. When he wasn't out delivering, Jack would sit in the hotel lobby, smoke hash, and update the ship's log.

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While in the hotel lobby, Jack couldn't help but wonder who the other people hanging out in the lobby were. He asked Rik for his opinion on them, and he replied saying, "Everyone hip stays here. Jane Fonda. Jimmy Page. Bob Dylan. This place is crawling with famous people" (111).

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Jane Fonda, original name Lady Jayne Seymour Fonda, (born December 21, 1937, New York, New York, U.S.), American actress and political activist who first gained fame in comedic roles but who later established herself as a serious actress, winning Academy Awards for her work in Klute (1971) and Coming Home (1978).

Jane Fonda was the daughter of actor Henry Fonda. She left Vassar College after two years and lived in New York City, where she worked as a model and in 1958 studied acting under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. Her acting career began with appearances in the Broadway play There Was a Little Girl (1960) and the motion picture Tall Story (1960), and she went on to appear in numerous comic films in the 1960s, including Cat Ballou (1965) and Barefoot in the Park (1967).

Fonda's subsequent, more-substantial roles were in such socially conscious films as They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), (1971), Coming Home (1978), and The China Syndrome (1979). She received Academy Awards for best actress for her performances as a call girl in and as the wife of a Vietnam War soldier in Coming Home. Fonda then joined Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin in Nine to Five (1980), a comedy in which three women join forces to get even with their cruel misogynistic boss. In 1981 she costarred with her father and Katharine Hepburn in the film On Golden Pond. Fonda's other movies in the 1980s included Agnes of God (1985) and The Morning After (1986).

Following her turn as a struggling widow in Stanley & Iris (1990), Fonda took a break from acting and did not reappear onscreen until 2005, when she starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy Monster-in-Law. Her later films included Georgia Rule (2007), Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2011), Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013), and This Is Where I Leave You (2014). In 2009 Fonda returned to Broadway, after a 46-year absence, to portray a dying musicologist in 33 Variations. She also had a recurring role on the television drama The Newsroom (2012-14). She then starred opposite Lily Tomlin in the Netflix television comedy Grace and Frankie (2015- ), about two women whose husbands leave them for each other. In 2017 Fonda portrayed a widow who befriends her longtime neighbour (played by Robert Redford) in the Netflix movie Our Souls at Night. She later starred in (2018), a romantic comedy about four old friends who add spice to their club-and their lives-by reading E.L. James's erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. In 2021 Fonda was given the Cecil B. DeMille Award (a Golden Globe for lifetime achievement).

From the 1970s Fonda was active on behalf of left-wing political causes. An outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, she journeyed to Hanoi in 1972 to denounce the U.S. bombing campaigns there. During that trip she visited with the crew of a North Vietnamese air defense battery, and photographs of Fonda in the seat of an antiaircraft gun were widely circulated. Her actions led to Fonda's being branded "Hanoi Jane" (recalling World War II's Tokyo Rose). In 1988 she apologized to American veterans of the Vietnam War in a televised interview with Barbara Walters, saying that some of her behaviour in Hanoi was "thoughtless and careless." In the 1980s she devised a popular exercise program to fund Campaign for Economic Democracy, an organization founded by American politician Tom Hayden, who was her husband from 1973 to 1990. Fonda was also active in the women's rights movement, and in 2005 she cofounded the Women's Media Center. She also sought to raise awareness about climate change.

Fonda was married two other times, to the French film director Roger Vadim (1965-73) and to the American broadcasting entrepreneur Ted Turner (1991-2001). Her books included the autobiography My Life So Far (2005); Prime Time (2011), a volume of advice about aging; and What Can I Do?: My Path from Climate Despair to Action (2020). The documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018) chronicled her life and career.

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Jane Fonda | Biography, Facts, Films, & Activism

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Jane Fonda, American film actress, daughter of Henry Fonda, noted for her political activism, especially during the Vietnam War. She is best known for such movies as Barefoot in the Park (1967), Klute (1971), Coming Home (1978), and Nine to Five (1980). Read more about her life and career.

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By the second week of delivering the drugs around town, they had already sold most of their supply. Because of this (and Jack's constant begging), Jack was finally paid his $10,000. He was overjoyed, and with the money, he "played with it like a kid with a toy" (113).

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Eager to make some more money, Hamilton asked Jack if he wanted to help sail the boat to England before picking up another ton of hash and repeating the operation. He promised a better cut of the deal, and Jack told him he'd give it some thought. In reality however, Jack "wanted to get started on [his] future. [He] called a few colleges in New York and asked about writing programs"(113).

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They had almost sold all of the hash -- only a few hundred pounds remaining. Rik called to make another delivery, but this time Hamilton told Jack to stay put, saying he'll make the delivery. However, on the second floor, Jack could hear a commotion in the lobby. A man shouting, "We're FBI!" (115), and Hamilton saying, "Okay, okay, don't hurt me. Don't!" (115). It was then that two men walked through the door. Hamilton shouted, "There they are! Those are the guys who own the boat." (115). This caused the agents to let him go, and Hamilton ran out the back hall and into an alley.

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Jack ran back up into his room, throwing his cash, five kilos of hash, and clean clothes into a green duffel bag. He walked out the front door and made his way to the first subway station. He took a train to Penn Station, where he would take another train to Florida. Only the train didn't leave for another hour, so Jack headed downstairs to the movie theater, where he watched "A New Leaf". When it was time, Jack got onto the train. He got off at Fort Lauderdale and took a cab back to "The King's Court," where he would rest for a bit.

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Discover reviews, ratings, and trailers for A New Leaf on Rotten Tomatoes. Stay updated with critic and audience scores today!

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At the motel, Jack called his father. His father told him that he got in touch with a lawyer in New York and gave him his number. Jack called the lawyer, Al E. Newman, and he said that an appointment had already been set up for Jack to turn himself in. Jack asked, "Do I have to turn myself in?" (123), and Newman says, "You can hide out until they catch you, and they will. And they [...] will throw the book at you, which [...] is seventy-five years" (123). Jack told Newman, "Tell them I'll turn myself in" (123).

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After visiting with Newman in his office, Jack and Newman would both go to to the prosecuting attorney's office to discuss the charges placed on Jack. The attorney's name was Mr. Tepper, and during the discussion, he reveals that Rik had snitched, unlocking the whole operation.

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Watching the news on the Attica Prison Uprising, Jack couldn't feel anything but complete horror. As he watched, he started to realize what kind of place prison was. "Guards weren't going to protect [him]. Prisoners weren't going to protect [him]. [He] was screwed" (138).

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How the Attica prison uprising started — and why it still resonates today

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A new documentary goes behind the walls of the deadly 1971 uprising. Attica filmmaker Stanley Nelson and former prisoner Arthur Harrison reflect on the five-day revolt, and its lasting legacy.

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Newman couldn't defend Jack in court. Tepper had too much evidence against him, and in the end, the judge ruled a 5010B. Newman told Jack, "A 5010B is a youth sentence. It means you can do anywhere from sixty days to six years, depending on your behavior and what the parole board thinks" (146).

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Jack was handcuffed and put on a black bus with two dozen other handcuffed men. They were sent to a federal holding prison on West Street. The room Jack stayed in had 18 military bunks for 36 men. Jack picked the top bunk in the corner under a blue florescent light. Jack didn't sleep that night. He didn't go down for breakfast either. He never wanted to leave the safety of his bunk.

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Jack was soon shipped out of West Street and into the federal prison in Ashland, Kentucky. When he got there, the physician's assistant, Mr. Bow, spotted lice in Jack's hair. Because of this, Jack was put into his own private cell instead of out in population.

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Out of complete boredom, Jack decided to start reading the graffiti scratched into the walls. He "puzzled out names and words, dates and shapes" (157). Jack eventually found what he thought was the best line on the walls, which was, "WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE" (158), from the movie Cool Hand Luke.

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After the first few days, the food service worker delivering Jack his meals brought him "some books, a pad of paper, envelopes, and a pencil" (158). He had taken pity on Jack because Jack had been just bouncing around his cell. With the envelopes, Jack sent the judge a letter, asking to reduce his sentence time. With one of the books, Jack wrote in between the lines, recording experiences in jail.

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Jack met up with Mr. Bow again to check for lice. This time, the lice was gone and Jack would be sent down to population. However Jack didn't want to go to population. He asked Mr. Bow if he needed any workers in the hospital staff, and he revealed that his X-ray tech had just tried to escape the prison, but was caught trying to climb the fence. He offered Jack the job, and Jack accepted it with glee. Jack was also able to keep his private cell.

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Five months later, Jack was able to see the parole board, where they would determine how much more of the sixty days to six years he would have to serve. The hearing did not end well, as three weeks later, they sent a letter announcing that Jack had a 2-year setoff until he could see them again.

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On a random weekday afternoon, the hospital guard knocked on Jack's door and announced that he had two visitors. When he walked out into the visiting room, Jack was surprised to see his father and his uncle Jim drunk and smoking cigarettes. They were only given 15 minutes with each other, and with not much to say, Jack gave both of them a warm hug before heading back to his cell.

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Jack's plan to get out of prison was to try getting accepted into a college and hoping the parole board would grant him an early release to go to school. Jack had his caseworker, Mr. Casey, type up the application and send it to the college and parole board. After weeks of waiting, Jack was accepted into the college. A little after that, the parole board sent a letter saying that they would let Jack go on two conditions. He needed "to have a stable place to live in New York City, and a job" (193).

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Jack's father knew a guy whose mother had an extra room Jack could stay in. That same guy also had a brother who would give Jack a job selling Christmas trees. With this information, Mr. Casey called the parole board, and they approved his release, giving him walking papers.

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As Jack left the prison, he had to leave behind his journal, as it was prison property. Jack was devastated, as "That journal was the one and only thing [he] loved about prison" (196).

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In his college writing classes, Jack would only write about his time in prison, as it was the only thing he was thinking of. However, he eventually got bored of those bloody stories, and began to write about the lost pleasures of his childhood. And with that, Jack also started writing stories for children, where he finally found his success as a writer.