Louis Sachar's Holes: Book Review

Louis Sachar's Holes: A Review

by Armando Ortiz

  I have yet to see the film that was made based on the book I will be talking about, but hopefully in the near future this will change. After talking to some people about some books to read with my student I followed my friend’s suggestion and picked up a copy of Louis Sachar’s, Holes. When my student began to read it she mentioned that she’d already seen the film. I didn’t give it much thought and told the kid that because of that it would be easier for her to follow the story. The book starts out with Stanley Yelnats riding the bus to Camp Green Lake. He’s been accused of a crime and despite the injustice committed against him he blames it on his good-for-nothing-great-great-grandfather. The story describes Stanley as being a chubby kid, with very few to no friends, and introverted. He comes from a poor family but they also have a knack for inventing. The beginning of the book paints a character that seems to have been defeated by life at an early age, yet as the story develops the plot becomes more interesting and paints a different picture of Stanley.

Stanley, despite being at camp with real criminals, tries to cope with camp life by writing letters to his mother, and going along with what some of the guys in the group he’s been assigned suggest he do. Digging holes, an assignment that’s intended to build individual character, is a daily occurrence, and once a five by five hole is dug the youths can go back to the wrecked room and relax. Life is pretty monotonous and uneventful. Yet, despite the daily routine, another character, Zero, becomes interested in Stanley’s ability to communicate. One day while writing a letter to his mom, Stanley notices that Zero is looking at him intently, at first he thinks Zero is just reading the letter, but in fact Zero has no clue what is being written because he can’t read.  This is the beginning of a friendship that leads to Stanley helping Zero survive in the desert for several days.

What at first seemed to be a kid that was unable to make friendship turns out to be a kid that holds his ground, is calm under pressure, and has the patience to teach English to a camp mate. Another aspect of the story is the self-image that Stanley has of himself. He is a chubby kid with a taste for reading books yet at school he was picked on and singled out for his image. As a result he didn’t like himself, but at camp he discovers that he is pretty strong, and that he is able to make meaningful relationships. One finds a kid that is observant with a willingness to help out.

One aspect of the book that I liked was how Stanley came to discover his qualities after taking time to help a friend. He blamed his destiny on his ancestor’s past mistakes, but soon comes to discover that helping others isn’t that bad, and that one actually develops a sense of satisfaction. This and the sense of putting oneself out there seem to be the message of the author. Despite what others see and think that we are, if we follow our own path, and give of ourselves to positive activities we might discover talents and abilities that we never knew were always there. Not only that, Stanley comes to like himself, but this self-confidence does not emerge from the praise of others, instead it comes from the fact that after reflecting a bit he sees the positive things he’s done, even though this self-reflecting is done out in the desert while being an “escapee” from camp.

The story has several characters that add to the storyline and the author’s ability to shuttle the reader from Camp Green Lake to the local setting’s past, and then transport the reader to Latvia keeps the reader engrossed in the book and in the evolution of Stanley as a person. One aspect of the story that really stands out is Sachar’s description of the local landscape. It’s as if I was traveling through some vast desert like savannas that I got to visit while driving around West and Central Texas. Overall this was a good read for me and for my student. Though it's required reading in middle school the book is good for anyone of any age, and its message is universal.