John Hubner's Last Chance In Texas

In John Hubner’s 2005 book, Last Chance in Texas, readers are given insight into the fundamental curriculum that is embedded at Giddings State School. The book is divided into two parts, it begins by giving the point of view of the boy’s at Giddings and then shifts to the girl’s perspective. A significant chapter in the girl’s portion is chapter twelve, in which Hubner centers on Candace, a subject of the book. Readers learn her life and crime story and are able to understand the effects Giddings has had on her life and also how she, herself, affected the campus life. Chapter twelve not only further develops Candace as an individual, but also introduces more depth into the Special Services Committee.
Hubner begins the chapter by briefly describing

his interview with Sandy Brown, the high school football coach. The reader learns about the memento Candace gave Brown and how it is significant to him. Hubner records it as an empty tiny box wrapped in gold foil and tied with a red ribbon. He begins to mention a few of her accomplishments and then goes on to say, “But then, Candace has been doing amazing things, legal and otherwise, since at least age nine” (231). This quote alludes to the astonishing things Candace is capable of doing at such a young age and how she will continue to make a powerful impression on the reader as she matures.
Hubner continues the chapter by discussing how Candace’s childhood was marked by many traumatic events. In chronological order, Hubner informs the reader how she was raped as a young girl, which resulted in the death of her father. Candace’s mother then turned to prostitution, which facilitated Candace’s new role as caretaker for her younger siblings. Hubner reports how Candace began stealing at a young age in order to provide for her family and how she also had to run off the men her mother brought home. He also includes how things became even worse when her mother remarried a young man, who would become the next violator in Candace’s life. He shares how despite her mother divorced that pervert, she once again invited someone into her home that would also take advantage of Candace. All the adversity that was placed in Candace’s life caused her to believe that she was suffering from what she calls, The Curse.
Hubner then transitions the text from Candace’s childhood into her adolescence.

This section of the chapter reveals how Candace would use older men for money while they used her for sex. This was Candace’s attempt to turn the curse around to her benefit. Hubner records how Candace ended up staying with, Angel, where she was introduced to crack cocaine and was presented with an ultimatum: have sex with men or get out. Candace choose the latter option and it seemed as if she found her protector, Derrick, who as Hubner puts it, “figured out how to take Candace away from her troubles” (237). He may have steered her from her troubles momentarily but he then steered her in the direction of stealing on a grand scale. Hubner explains their elaborate method for their stealing trips which made it possible for them to rob 120 convenient stores in just six months. He then describes the rush stealing gave them, however this adrenaline came to a halt after Candace became sick with chlamydia and the couple realized they had no money for medical care. Next, the author adds how in an attempt to pick up cash, Derrick and Candace were caught red-handed. Hubner incorporates the difference in the charges for the dynamic duo. While Derrick was sentenced to four years in state prison, Candace was sent to the TYC facility with a ten-year determinate

sentence.
Hubner then provides examples that demonstrate Candace’s transformation from wild child to an influential student on campus. Upon her arrival at Giddings, Candace had difficulties, however, she gradually discovered her life was defined as a series of thinking errors; she excelled at downplaying. In realizing her thinking errors she was able to change in a way Hubner described as, “Slowly she began to emerge from herself, and when she did, Candace turned into a unique figure on the Giddings campus” (240). This quote demonstrates how Candace was effectively resocialized. To support his claim, the author incorporates how Candace became a feminist who worked for equal rights and how she came up with the idea of positive feedback. She also advocated for the girls to have a track team and when it was created she emerged as the star of the team. In this section of the chapter, Hubner conveys how Candace contributed to positive modifications at the school.
Hubner concludes the chapter with a detailed illustration on a Special Services Committee meeting. Although this meeting has been mentioned before in other chapters, in this chapter we go below the surface and get a better understanding on how these meetings are conducted. Hubner provides descriptions on what is occurring inside the conference room, where several important personnel are in attendance. They first summarize Candace’s crimes, her time at Giddings, and her academic report. Candace asserts to the committee that she is now capable of understanding people’s emotions and articulates her desire of becoming a therapeutic masseuse. Hubner makes it clear that “Candace has matured to a great extent.” (243). Candace has not taken her time at Giddings for granted and has truly learned from her experience there. After careful evaluation the committee has three options to make, they can recommend that she be released on parole, that she remains at the school for an extended period, or that she be transferred to prison. According to Hubner, the committee unanimously votes to release Candace on parole. Upon leaving her six-year old home, Hubner notes that “She had always thought leaving the Giddings State School would be an ending. Now she realizes it isn’t an ending at all. It’s a beginning” (247). Candace is leaving the Curse behind her and is starting off as a new and improved version of herself.
Hubner’s decision to include this chapter in the book is balanced because it coincides with the overall theme of the book of uncovering what life is really like for the students at Giddings.

This chapter gives us perspective into the girl’s side of campus and also gives us deeper access into the Special Services Committee. Hubner presents this information while adding his own writing style. One of the techniques the author utilizes is that he paraphrases the events in her life but uses direct quotations when he is trying to emphasize a point or catch the reader’s attention. He also does not censor her life which gives the chapter a realistic appeal. His word choice sways the reader into feeling compassion and sympathy for Candace. Throughout the chapter he refers to Candace as a marvelous actress. In doing so he presents her as a subject who is adored by the public, but also as someone who is capable of portraying herself in multiple character roles opposite of who she really

is.
However, the reader might feel that the chapter is missing details on her time in Capital offenders. Despite that fact the chapter is still well developed and is comprehensive. This can be justified by the two poems written by Candace that Hubner strategically provide because they allow the reader to comprehend Candace’s emotions at some of the worst moments of her life. By adding her literary works, Hubner sets the chapter so that the reader resonates with Candace and feels a connection with her not as an inmate but as a person who has overcome great struggles.