Jack Gantos, the author of Hole in my Life, uses an unusual and colloquial language in his autobiography. He speaks in a serious tone, as if he is trying to explain to the reader why the decisions he has made should not be repeated by anyone. In order to achieve this moral connection to the reader, Gantos uses the same language and style as a teenager would use, because of the fact that his audience is mainly teenagers who have not experienced too many things in life. For an autobiography, the language used was unexpected, yet surprisingly pleasing. I, a person who does not enjoy reading, was actually taken by the book. In a sense, Gantos disguises the language as objective and dispassionate, but in reality, he is objective to the facts and dispassionate towards the mistakes he has made in life, but towards the end his passion is revealed and his reason is uncovered. At some parts of the autobiography, Gantos also uses satire to better create a bridge between the reader and the text. He describes humorous situations in his life, well at least amusing to me, like him "power-barfing" all over his tenants living room, then blacking out in the barf soaking carpet. Besides all of this, Gantos is extremely educated. This is shown by having a literal reference on almost every single page of the book. Overall, Gantos uses slang, passion, satire, and reason to take the reader on a "autobiographical roller coaster" putting the reader in his shoes and ultimately appealing to the youth that is reading the book.
Jack Gantos's Language