A few years ago, I saw my adopted Aunt Kumudu at Christmas time, and she offered me a book for Christmas. The book was, Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos. I didn't have very much in common with her, so I wasn't expecting to be all that interested in the book she gave me. As soon as I opened the cover, I learned that it was about a man who got caught shipping marijuana to New York 1970s. When I first came across it, my first reaction was kind of taken aback. I didn't think that I would learn anything from this convict. However, this was one of the most rewarding book s I have ever read. The main character in this autobiography was named Jack Gantos. He grew up in the poor areas of Puerto Rico amongst his family. When he chose to drop out of school and went to look for a job, he struggled to make it by. However, he loved to read, being so passionate about novels that he became very smart as a result. The struggle he faced with money, however, became such an obstacle in life that he became depressed and lost in the isolate world he lived in. When he turned to drugs to bolster not only his depression, but his finances, he became even more segregated from his family and fellow people in Puerto Rico. He struggled even more because he was now faced with the law in his face. When Jack turned to a now famous drug trafficking incident for more support, he eventually got caught. Being stuck in a desolate place of a prison brought somewhat of an insight upon his life that he had felt he wasted. He wrote this autobiography in the prison he resided in.
Although the end of the book was the main learning experience for me, I also learned something from Jack's struggle. His struggle to survive and his struggle to live his life, 'the right way,' made me realize that I am lucky for what I have. I don't have to deal drugs to have money and find shelter. I don't have to do drugs or turn to false happiness, because all of those things are offered to me everyday. I am so grateful that I read this book because I learned so much about poverty and drugs and the consequences of both.