Section 1: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

"Hole in my Life" by Jack Gantos is a story of the author's young adulthood, where his mistakes lead him to prison. While his journey is difficult, his optimism and his writing eventually lead him to the proper path, and into a wonderful writing career.

In Section 1, Chapter 1, Gantos now admits the prisoner photograph on the front cover of the book is him, taken when he was twenty one in a federal prison. He was slight at the time, but his face was covered in acne as a result of stress and a prison diet. He was in a place where violence was common, and he sought to avoid those who aimed to hurt others. Gantos discusses several incidents of violence in prison, and notes that his childhood was in no way filled with such...