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The Glass Castle: A Memoir
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Binding: Library Binding
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.82092
EAN: 9781435271418
ISBN: 1435271416
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: May 09, 2008
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Editorial Review: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.
Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In The Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's childrearing style laissez faire would be putting it mildly. As Rose Mary and Rex, motivated by whims and paranoia, uprooted their kids time and again, the youngsters (Walls, her brother and two sisters) were left largely to their own devices. But while Rex and Rose Mary firmly believed children learned best from their own mistakes, they themselves never seemed to do so, repeating the same disastrous patterns that eventually landed them on the streets. Walls describes in fascinating detail what it was to be a child in this family, from the embarrassing (wearing shoes held together with safety pins; using markers to color her skin in an effort to camouflage holes in her pants) to the horrific (being told, after a creepy uncle pleasured himself in close proximity, that sexual assault is a crime of perception; and being pimped by her father at a bar). Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them--despite their overwhelming self-absorption--resonates from cover to cover. --Brangien Davis
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
This is the best book I've read in a long time- Jeannette Walls has a moving story to tell, which she does with insight and humor. Her most recent book, "Half Broke Horses", the true story of her grandmother, is also a jewel. I saw Walls at the Miami Book Fair in November- she was quite inspiring, (and funny!), and she received a standing ovation after her presentation.
Rating:  -
This book feeds pain bodies. The author gave me nothing but a string of negative incidents where her parents were neglectful and or feeding their addictions and being quirky and or mentally ill. It was boring. There is so much more to this story but Walls' holds back, most likely because it will be in another edition which her happy readers will buy into, and once again you will get only half a story. In my humble opinion it is half a book, and appeals to the voyeurs in us. If you are feeling ... Read More
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If this were simply a novel, it would be a great read, but knowing that this is a true life memoir takes it over the top. A great read!!
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Talk about a dysfunctional family! I couldn't believe how unconcerned these otherwise intelligent parents were for the wellbeing of their children. Gotta admire those kids! They helped each other as much as possible, and tried to help their parents. A great book.
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Could not put this one down. This book tells the story of the human will to survive at all costs. Funny, honest and painful it offers deep insight into the human psyche and spits out some cockeyed wisdom. A must read for any Wounded Child.
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