A review by lindakane
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

5.0

This memoir is a must read! I love the way that Jeanette presented her story without anger towards her parents or the events that shaped her past. I certainly felt anger towards them while reading some of the horrible things that the Walls kids endured because of their neglect and selfishness, but the fact that she was able to present what happened without much judgement made this read so differently than if she had written it with bitterness (which would have been completely understandable). She still loved and trusted her parents as a child, but as she grew older she began to understand that they couldn’t be relied on and would never change. It was up to her and her siblings to do what needed to be done and to build a life for themselves. It was sad to think about how many people can probably relate to at least some aspects of Jeanette’s life, but equally inspiring to see how much she overcame to get to where she is now.

Another thing that really stood out to me that is so different from many stories of living in poverty/homelessness is that her mother HAD resources. She had the house in Phoenix that she owned outright and the million dollars worth of land in Texas. Yet, she chose homelessness (and a very rough childhood for her kids) over selling the land or staying put in the Phoenix home and taking care of it. You never really think about someone being in a situation like that because they chose to be, but to find out that so much of the kids’ suffering could have been avoided had Rose Mary used the resources she inherited was so frustrating.