Jack Gantos first thought about being a writer in the sixth grade . . . when he read his sister’s diary and decided he could write better than she could.
Today, the Boston resident is the author of more than thirty books, including pre-teen favorites JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY (a National Book Award finalist), its sequel JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL (a Newbery Honor book), and the popular ROTTEN RALPH picture book series, now in its 26th year.
Gantos’ latest book, HOLE IN MY LIFE, is the real-life story of Gantos’ decision in 1971 to help sail a yacht loaded with hashish from the Virgin Islands to New York City . . . and the prison term that followed.
It is also, writes Michael Cart in Booklist, “a beautifully realized story about the making of a writer,” one that is “brilliant and breathtaking in its candor and authenticity.” The memoir is Gantos’ first foray into the young adult market. Barb Odanaka interviewed Gantos by e-mail.
Barb Odanaka: How long had you been thinking of writing this particular book? What, after over a quarter-century in publishing, made you decide it was time?
Jack Gantos: I had written an adult novel [ZIP SIX] loosely based on some of my prison experiences. But it wasn’t a memoir. It was largely fiction.
The memoir came about not because I put off writing it but because I didn’t have the itch to write it. What gave me the itch was just how much intolerance I see in society, which seems more intent on punishing teens for their mistakes than offering guidance.
So much of what I hear in legal circles, in media, and in schools is that we are strongly advocating a “zero tolerance” policy, where if teens make a mistake they are drummed out of society.
I find this sort of strident, unsympathetic response to teens—who have a difficult time sorting out right and wrong in a confusing culture—to be very destructive, because it is so unforgiving. And it may cause some teens to conclude that if they make one mistake they may as well wear a red A on their clothing and be forever shunned.
I wrote the book because I made mistakes, paid my dues, recovered, and moved on to succeed at what I had always wanted to do—write books. Believe me, after I made my mistakes I needed support and the warmth of human kindness, because I had already suffered a strong dose of punishment.
Odanaka: You’ve written picture books, early readers, and books for pre-teens. Did writing a book that depicts the reality of prison life challenge you more as a writer in any way?
Gantos: Writing every book is a challenge. With HOLE IN MY LIFE, there was the additional challenge of making certain all the feelings were genuine, and belonged to me, and that I didn’t drift into writing about an imaginary version of myself.
Odanaka: What advice would you give to writers who are trying to bring painful or unhappy moments of their past into book form?
Gantos: Everyone finds their own way to tell a story which is related to strong personal feelings. This is why reading books with genuine, unsentimental feelings, or unnecessary bitterness is important.
Certainly young people need to be stimulated to begin the process of self-examination, and I find that books which offer strong, thoughtful characters searching for answers is one way to pursue a reflective life. Add to this that writing in a journal each day allows a person to articulate clearly what it is they see, what they feel and think, and to measure through words who they are and how they might define themselves, or discover themselves.
Literature presents a world from many points of view, and as a result the reader who embraces diverse voices is in return made diverse. And isn’t this the definition of personal growth?
Odanaka: Through the early chapters, you talk of wanting to be a writer, yet not being able to find the motivation or discipline to actually write. That changes when you enter prison. Is discipline or motivation ever a problem for you today?
Gantos: Each book is a challenge, which is what makes this job so enticing. Yes, the blank page is always daring you to write something significant, so you just have to rise up and get the job done.
I’m very practical. I don’t go in for whining, writer’s block, hand wringing or talk, talk, talking about the book. Like everyone, I have good days and bad days, but if you keep the discipline of writing it all evens out and the book gets written.
