Another Beaver library book sale find, and another book to read before watching the movie. Except unlike my last read, this one is a memoir by a woman who has had an adventure of a life.
Book Read: The Glass Castle
Author: Jeannette Walls
Number of Books Read: 29
Jeannette Walls’ family is different, to say the least. Vibrant is another good way to describe them and their adventures. Her mother and father are free spirits who rather “skedaddle” than sit still.
Throughout her childhood, Jeannette learned to take care of herself, whether it be defending herself in a fight, or feeding herself lunch by picking through the garbage at school. Her siblings learned to do the same, with dreams of the Big Apple and independence.
Jeannette’s father is intelligent, charismatic, and somehow manages to feed his family. But he is also an alcoholic who would do anything to pay for that next drink. Her mother is a free spirit who doesn’t want the responsibility of a job, or of a family. They move frequently, until they land in Welch, West Virginia, living in a rundown house with no indoor bathroom, struggling to get by. But somehow the Wells siblings pull together to keep the family moving.
When Jeannette’s sister Lori is old enough to move to New York City, the other Wells siblings follow in order. Jeannette finds a job and is accepted to Barnard College. Lori finds success in freelance, Brian bides his time until he can enroll in the police academy and has a knack for fixer uppers, and Maureen wants to be taken care of, and at times, falls off the wagon and needs help.
A few years after the Walls siblings all move to NYC, Jeannette is listening to the news - a van has broken down on the highway, clothes are everywhere, and a dog is running loose. It all sounds too familiar to Jeannette. Because it is - their parents have followed their children to New York, choosing to be homeless even as their children are growing in success.
Jeannette Walls’ story is, frankly, insane. At points while reading, I wondered if it were all true. I tried putting myself into her shoes, sitting in a car “skedaddling” from place to place, dreaming of just getting away. This memoir is intense, it’s powerful, and it’s extremely well written. Walls is honest about what has happened in her life, from her father’s drinking, to her first marriage, to her acceptance of her parents and their ways.
I understand why this book won awards, and why it was chosen to be made into a movie. The stories are crazy but all center on a family that while wild, is loyal beyond belief. The movie, while you didn’t hear much about it at some point, stares both Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson, so I have high hopes for it. One book crossed off the book list, and a movie added to the “to watch list.”
Next Read: Falling Together by Maria de los Santos
