An incredible look at what it takes to survive a dysfunctional, but loving family. ( )

Wow. What a story. How do you grow up like Jeannette Walls and fit into mainstream American life? Moreover, Walls seems to have found a way to accept, even love, her mom and dad, despite their reprehensible behavior as parents, behavior that included the children going hungry, allowing relatives to molest the children, and foregoing medical care for the children's serious injuries. ( )

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is an excellent book. It is a memoir about the life of Jeannette Walls. Jeannette had a brother and two sisters. Her family was very poor and they moved around all the time. They usually lived in the southwest of the United States. But, after they have some financial issues that are worse than normal, they move to Welch, West Virginia where Jeannette’s father’s parents live. The story tells about how Jeannette Walls worked hard her entire life to get out of Welch and make her life better. This book was good because Jeannette Walls was able to describe her life really well. Her story was very interesting. ( )

This was a sad but at times humorous story of a family called the Walls. They lived a fairly nomadic life at times always moving from town to town when things would get “hot”. They were a very poor family with 4 kids a father who was an alcoholic and a mother who as she called it was addicted to adventure. Jeannette Walls paints a picture of a family that had many hardships but to me it seemed like they weren’t short on love even though she does describe her mother as somewhat unloving who always said she would be a great artist if she hadn’t had kids. The dad is a dreamer always looking for a get rich quick scheme but he doesn’t depend on other people(Other than his children) for that he plans on inventing the next great thing saying he’s got plans for this and that but those plans never come to fruition because he’s always drinking.
Jeannette tells this story of her life in a matter of fact way and I liked that there wasn’t much poor me in this book, just this is the way it was. Despite their upbringing the Walls kids were all extremely intelligent reading at a very young age. Their parents taught them a lot and gave them a good education despite everything, in the sense that they were very book smart. But they did go hungry for the better part of their young lives and even when her parents were working the money vanished as fast as it came in with nothing going to clothing for the kids or food, it seemed when either parent was working which wasn’t often they would have food for less than a week then go hungry again.
I would have actually liked to have seen some pictures but she does explain why there weren’t any but I was curious about her mother’s art work. These parents I think did what they could with what capacity they had. I truly believe her father loved her and I was actually sad when he died in my mind he was a character. I like that Jeannette doesn’t make excuses for them just tells it like it is or was.
I really liked this book and would recommend it! ( )

A sad yet amazing story of survival in a family where the term "dysfunctional" cannot begin to describe the pathetic circumstances that was Walls's and her siblings' childhood. ( )

In a way this reminds me of "West of then" except that this author lived with her self-absorbed and incompetent parents and endured a destitute childhood.

Touching true story that challenges us to be true to ourselves. ( )

I so enjoyed this book! Jeannette's eccentric parents, though absolutely dreadful as caregivers, were very sympathetic characters, and delightfully quirky. The ability of these children to care for themselves and each other gives me hope and renewed faith in the resilience and resourcefulness of the youngest of our human family. Each child was lovingly, perceptively portrayed with his or her own voice and sensibility. Walls delivers a story of despair, hope and humor that kept me reading long after I should have been asleep having abandonment nightmares. ( )

I so enjoyed this book! Jeannette's eccentric parents, though absolutely dreadful as caregivers, were very sympathetic characters, and delightfully quirky. The ability of these children to care for themselves and each other gives me hope and renewed faith in the resilience and resourcefulness of the youngest of our human family. Each child was lovingly, perceptively portrayed with his or her own voice and sensibility. Walls delivers a story of despair, hope and humor that kept me reading long after I should have been asleep having abandonment nightmares. ( )

I so enjoyed this book! Jeannette's eccentric parents, though absolutely dreadful as caregivers, were very sympathetic characters, and delightfully quirky. The ability of these children to care for themselves and each other gives me hope and renewed faith in the resilience and resourcefulness of the youngest of our human family. Each child was lovingly, perceptively portrayed with his or her own voice and sensibility. Walls delivers a story of despair, hope and humor that kept me reading long after I should have been asleep having abandonment nightmares. ( )

I so enjoyed this book! Jeannette's eccentric parents, though absolutely dreadful as caregivers, were very sympathetic characters, and delightfully quirky. The ability of these children to care for themselves and each other gives me hope and renewed faith in the resilience and resourcefulness of the youngest of our human family. Each child was lovingly, perceptively portrayed with his or her own voice and sensibility. Walls delivers a story of despair, hope and humor that kept me reading long after I should have been asleep having abandonment nightmares. ( )

I so enjoyed this book! Jeannette's eccentric parents, though absolutely dreadful as caregivers, were very sympathetic characters, and delightfully quirky. The ability of these children to care for themselves and each other gives me hope and renewed faith in the resilience and resourcefulness of the youngest of our human family. Each child was lovingly, perceptively portrayed with his or her own voice and sensibility. Walls delivers a story of despair, hope and humor that kept me reading long after I should have been asleep having abandonment nightmares. ( )

A wonderful, fast read! At times this book broke my heart, others it frustrated me beyond measure, but it never made me want to put it down. Jeannette Walls tells her family's story without regret or excuses. With her parents' obvious mental issues and siblings that, like Jeannette, are basically raising themselves, the story never has a dull moment. Although somewhat depressing, the end of the book made me sigh and smile. Definitely a wonderful read.

Wow. I mean, WOW! This is so incredibly painful it has to be true. One of the few memoirs that has really gotten to me. After I read it, I passed it on to my parents, both of whom read it as well. They were shocked and awed by it as well.
Wells' detail is amazing, and the way she describes the events is so upclose and real that you read it and feel her pain. She draws you in that much!
Given how tragic and upsetting much of it was, it was a positive read over all. The idea that people can overcome terrible events and survive and thrive is heartening. Great, great book! ( )

Not sure I can add more to the myriad of reviews, but just wanted to say that I resisted reading this for a long time because I tend to put off depressing reads. It is surprisingly not depressing -- though it will make you very angry in places -- and well worth the reminder of how people can be resilient. ( )

The Class Castle is Jeannette Walls' memoir of growing up, with three siblings and in a state of extreme poverty and neglect, with her alcoholic father and mentally unbalanced mother. She tells the story directly and with a great deal of detail, covering about twenty years from her early memories as a three-year-old through her early adulthood, when she separated from her parents and established her own life on solid footing.

I feel compelled to interject with a comment that really isn't part of the review at all but, after reading lots of other readers' reviews, is something I feel I have to say in defense of Jeannette Walls: some of us really DO remember that much of our childhoods, even down to finite details of what we were wearing and what people said. I don't doubt her credibility for a moment. Traumatic events have a way of burning events indelibly into one's memory.

With that said, I agree with what others have noted as a disturbing lack of emotional response in many of the episodes described in the book. A review on the back cover of the book hails Walls for writing "brilliantly, without an ounce of self-pity." While I am envious of her ability to reflect so pragmatically on the difficulties of her childhood and her particular success in overcoming them, in the context of this book the lack of emotion she expresses deprives the story of a sense of purpose. Without some expression of pathos, it's unclear what we as readers are intended to learn from this. By the end, the story has become more a journalistic venture than the sort of memoir to which most of us are accustomed.

Nevertheless, her clear, crisp prose and the completeness of her details move the narrative powerfully forward, and the story is such a spectacular one that it is difficult to put the book down. Even without any specific resolution, the story is sufficiently interesting on its own to offer a compelling read. (Of course, I have to wonder whether much of the intrigue stems from the train-wreck-like nature of her home life growing up, instead of from the story she tries to tell.)

I picked up this book because I saw someone reading it on the subway a few days ago, and saw a few days later that Walls has a new book out. If the writing style in her new book is at all similar to the style of this one, I think it's definitely worth reading. She's a skilled writer, and certainly has much worth saying.

Oh, Jeannette Walls. How you ever turned out to have a normal adult life I shall never know. Your childhood was ridiculous - unbelievable really. Your memoir, The Glass Castle, made my neck sore from constantly shaking my head in shock. You know that day when Children's Aid showed up at your door? Had I been you, I would have jumped for joy, would have begged to be put in a foster home. But not you. Oh no, you did not want to leave your family. I still cannot comprehend why.

You are lucky that the scar you received at age three when you caught on fire cooking hotdogs is the only permanent physical mark on your body. Between rolling out of your moving family car, sleeping in cardboard boxes, living in houses infested with giant rats, and never having enough to eat, one would think that you would not have lived to see adulthood. But you did. You managed to get away from your psychotic parents and make a life for yourself. Congratulations.

You may not be much of a writer, Ms. Walls - do you have any emotions? I certainly did not detect any - but you have a story that halts the reader in her tracks. Every few pages I wanted to turn to someone and say, "can you believe this?" In fact, my students who are reading your memoir do just that. For this, I am eternally grateful to you. Your story caused non-readers, kids who do not enjoy school, to ask, no, beg, to spend an entire period reading. Do you know how rare that is? Trust me, it is rare.

You never seem to regret your upbringing, and I do find this troubling. Do you really think you benefitted from your parents' unconventional methods? Maybe a person can get used to anything, if it is all they ever know. Or maybe you just held back in your writing, worried you would wound your family. Lucky for the reader, while you skimped on the emotions, you never withheld the facts. We see for ourselves the horrors you experienced, and we can condemn, even if you cannot.

So, Ms. Walls, I find myself with mixed feelings regarding your memoir. On the one hand, it is a great teaching tool. But on the other, I am not thrilled with your emotional distance, or the message that you seem to be sending. The very fact that you were never taken away from your parents is a failure of justice. Yes, you survived, but at what cost to yourself? By the end of The Glass Castle, I was still shaking my head - not at your parents, but at you. Yes, family is important, but at some point you need to ask yourself: is your family a source of love, or a source of pain? ( )

When I read the back cover of this book I realized that it was not a book I would normally be interested in reading but I had heard good things about it from others so gave it a try and am glad I did. I love her writing style and the way she can tell a story with such grace - it's a book that makes you laugh and cry and sometimes at the same time - very highly recommended! ( )

A great book and excellent read! ( )

A beautifully written and moving memoir about a girl raised by parents more concerned with their own freedom and dreams than the needs of their children. This author truly has lived a life full of hardship and she has created a successful life for herself by taking her past and living beyond it. Sometimes I would think that the parents were not too bad until they settled in Welch, NC. Very moving and thought provoking. I still am in awe of the many neglects they faced as children. ( )

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a shocking and heartbreaking memoir of growing up with an alcoholic father and mentally ill mother. Over and over, I was stunned and even angered by the so-called adults complete and total lack of parenting skills. At one point, Jeannette, who was 7 or 8 at the time, wakes up to find a strange man touching her beneath her covers, and when she tells her parents maybe they should shut and locked the doors at night so as to keep the creeps out, they tell her some crap about fresh air and not letting fear get the better of you. In her teens, when Jeannette tells her mom that her uncle has been inappropriate with her, her mother tells her he’s just lonely and that “sexual assault is a crime of perception.” Time and again, these two genetic donors (calling them parents is going too far, to be honest), show a complete lack of common sense and sheer laziness to step up to the plate. I am amazed that the kids lived to adulthood, let alone to be anything close as successful as they nationally syndicated columnist and regular contributor to MSNBC. Brian and Lori also made good despite their upbringing.

One thing I can say about reading this book is that I can say with 100% certainty that I’m not that bad as a parent. It’s done a lot to make me feel better as a parent… at least I shut the doors at night and feed my kids and make sure they bathe regularly. I make sure they’re fed before I feed myself and I’d damn sure have food in the fridge AND pantry before gnawing on a Hershey bar. I feel guilty if I decide not to share my candy bar.. or Lindt truffle balls, nom nom nom… but that’s because they’ve ate plenty and had dessert, and By GOD, this is ONE thing I kept for myself. And I feel guilty for THAT! I can’t imagine the utter self-centeredness, truly clinical narcissism, the mother wallowed in. Also, I can say with certainty to my kids that they’ve never gone hungry. They may not like what’s in the cabinets, but there IS food… it’s just not ready-made junk for them to snack on.

I read a few reviews of The Glass Castle, and one reader dinged the book because the author conveys such neglect and abuse in a very unemotional manner. How could anyone suffer such a life without feeling a sense of indignity and injustice? To this I must point out that Walls is a professional journalist, and relaying information in an objective, matter-of-fact way is part of the job, so I wasn’t surprised by that at all. Also, I think it’s a normal part of the coping skills of an abuse survivor to learn to be able to talk about it with some distance and disconnection.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a great story of resilience and survival.

Click for full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20... ( )

I loved, loved, LOVED this memoir. This book had me on an emotional rollercoster and that is just one reason why I loved it so much. As soon as I was done reading it I had to find out more about Jeanette Walls and her fascinating story. You will be shocked, happy, sad, frustrated and confused throughout this book as you follow the journey of this unique family. This is one book that is sure to take your breath away as Walls flawlessly describes what it was like growing up in her world. ( )

A brave true tale of how utter self-destruction, a good measure of intelligence and talent, and the best of intentions can coexist in a couple trying to raise 4 children while holding onto their dreams; and what incredible acceptance and coping skills these children possess in the face of misery, until finally (in 3 cases out of 4) growing into self-sufficient strong individuals. ( )

Fascinating story, excellent writing. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I grew up with an alcoholic so in many ways I could relate. That being said, we were never in the same kind of poverty as the author was in. While some may find the way the author is so frank and non-chalant about things I found it to be a bit comforting. Oftentimes when I explain certain life experiences people have a hard time believing them because I talk about it like it is normal. If this is the only life the author has known it is normal for her and I like that she doesn't try to make us feel bad for her or make her experiences seem like atrocities. She just writes of the way things were. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. ( )