Gantos is an award-winning children’s author, but his compelling autobiography will appeal to readers of all ages. In the early 1970s, the future didn’t look very bright for the 20-year-old Gantos, who was arrested for his involvement in a drug smuggling scheme and sent to a medium security federal prison. Frightened and lonely, Gantos spent a grim 15 months behind bars, his only salvation a copy of The Brothers Karamazov, which he used as a journal, filling in the spaces between lines with his own writing. Ironically, it was during his time in prison that Gantos developed the discipline required to become a writer. Hole in My Life is a gripping account of his incarceration, written with unsparing honesty. It’s also a hopeful narrative of one man’s ability to overcome early obstacles and achieve success despite the odds.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
