THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls

 

My thoughts

I am not a person who reads memoirs. I just don't usually like them. I did however have a used copy of this and picked it up a couple of days ago and started reading it. I was basically just passing time until I could sit down and get back into the book I was actually reading. I could not put this one down. It's very good. It's very interesting. It's an up close and personal look at the author's life. Her family. Her parents and siblings. 

This family was truly very poor. They lived homeless and scraped for food almost always for a while. Then their dad took them to a house where they lived for what seems a long time. They go through so much. Many ups and downs and lots of fighting. But through all of that there is love. There is a togetherness that can't be denied. I would get so mad at their parents because they just seemed to take the kids for granted. Like neither wanted to be truly bothered. Their dad was a bit of a drunk and the mother was maybe a tad manic. She didn't want to do much of anything for her children. There was three girls and one boy. 

Jeannette was next to oldest and closest to their dad. He took more time with her in almost every aspect of life. I didn't think some of the things they did were good for her but who am I to say. She did pretty good with it. There were parts where I wanted to scream at their mother and at their dad but the children seemed to be ok for the most part. They survived right! Some of the gifts the dad gave them were perfect. Could not be better really. I mean how many parents do that? None that I know of and you will have to read this book to find out what I'm talking about.

I think this book is very interesting. It's well written and just grabs you. What these people, parents and children, go through is amazing. It is amazing that they survived. I thought Jeannette was so smart to get into the field she did and not let anything hold her back. This book gives you a lot of insight into her life and it's truly awesome. 

I enjoyed this and after reading it want to watch the movie for comparison.

I had to give it a huge 5 stars. Well worth reading and it's a quick read too. Parts will bring you to your knees and others will make you laugh out loud. It's really good.

Synopsis

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict". Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.