The Glass Castle: A Memoir

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It's a hit!

Everyone's cards get dealt differently. The shabby cards that were dealt for Jeannette Walls were beyond the survival of any child or the human spi... (show more)

Everyone's cards get dealt differently. The shabby cards that were dealt for Jeannette Walls were beyond the survival of any child or the human spirit. Jeannette Walls defied the odds and lives to tell it all in her "The Memoir: The Glass Castle".

While reading the book, many readers may be checking the front cover obsessively (I did) to remind themselves constantly that this was a work of a living organism or finding themselves flirting with the idea that perhaps the publisher should have categorized the book as fiction instead of memoir. But this no work of the imagination.

It's real. Raw. Beautiful. Lived. And incredible disturbing.
Jeannette Walls reminds me of a little girl in Ethiopia, an indigent child, victim of war mongering, surviving on barely nothing. How Africa is no different than North America. How close the lives of others reach our home. How close Africa is to United States.

A book that expands the human's heart. Highly recommend it. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

No, it's a flop!

Some parts of this story are unbelievable! I was totally repulsed by the attitude of the mother - how could any parent not be concerned when her ch... (show more)

Some parts of this story are unbelievable! I was totally repulsed by the attitude of the mother - how could any parent not be concerned when her children are being molested! How could any parent buy candy bars to satisfy her sweet tooth when her children are starving! Mentally ill or not - here is not one instance in the book where she shows genuine motherly love (putting their interests first) for these bright and creative children. The father might have been an alcoholic - at least he loved his children! I had to keep reminding myself that it is a memoir - based on Jeannette's recollections; I would have liked to know how the other children felt. Most of them survived - it sounds like the youngest suffered the most fallout. After I read this book, I called my mother and told her I loved her and appreciated all she sacrificed for me. (show less)

 

 

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  I freely admit that when I first began this book I kept thinking that this book is unbelievable. Literally... I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that a human could go through what Jeannette Walls and her siblings experienced and still find humor in the situation; it simply couldn't be true. I found that I had to distance myself emotionally in order to read it without becoming insanely angry.The cluelessness and narcassism of her parents is staggering and I was deeply disturbed by their s... (show more)

  I freely admit that when I first began this book I kept thinking that this book is unbelievable. Literally... I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that a human could go through what Jeannette Walls and her siblings experienced and still find humor in the situation; it simply couldn't be true. I found that I had to distance myself emotionally in order to read it without becoming insanely angry.The cluelessness and narcassism of her parents is staggering and I was deeply disturbed by their selfishness and thoughtless cruelty.

  It's been about 9 hours since I finished the book and I still can't decide whether I LIKED it or not. It's well written and Walls does an incredible job creating a technicolored image in your mind. That said, it's almost too tragic to say that it's enjoyable. I'm really glad that read it but it's not one I could read again. (show less)

   

   

  by Lisa Borquez on May 12, 2009 at 02:34PM

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  The Ingalls family gone bad would be one way of describing the Wallses. Headed by father Rex and mother Rose Mary, the family led a semi-nomadic life that took them across the continental U.S. A brilliant man and a self-proclaimed atheist, Rex was suspicious of authority figures. Rose Mary’s creative mind caused her to spend more time on painting and writing rather than nurturing. Though staunchly liberal, she struggled with her devout Catholic upbringing as well the rigidity of her mothe... (show more)

  The Ingalls family gone bad would be one way of describing the Wallses. Headed by father Rex and mother Rose Mary, the family led a semi-nomadic life that took them across the continental U.S. A brilliant man and a self-proclaimed atheist, Rex was suspicious of authority figures. Rose Mary’s creative mind caused her to spend more time on painting and writing rather than nurturing. Though staunchly liberal, she struggled with her devout Catholic upbringing as well the rigidity of her mother’s rules. Rex too, though he escaped his abusive home in West Virginia at age seventeen, was unable to break free from his past bondage thus continuing his family’s alcoholic legacy. Their parents absorbed in their own world, the Walls children learned to be self-reliant and always leaned on each other. Starting with the eldest, Lori, one by one, they eventually made their way to New York City.

  Anyone who’s grown up in a dysfunctional home can relate to this book. For those who didn’t, they might appreciate this as a testament to the enduring love that the Walls family have for each other. Though they fought fiercely they also loved greatly. The author “wanted to let the world know that no one had a perfect life, that even the people who seemed to have it all had their secrets.” I highly recommend this book. (show less)

   

  by Facebook User on May 03, 2009 at 02:12PM

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