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A review by jamie_o
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
"I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw mom, rooting through a dumpster" - this is the opening line to Jeannette Walls memoir. The story that follows is infuriating, inspiring, horrific, funny, and craaaaazy.
Jeannette's family was dysfunctional to the extreme. Her parents had a toxic relationship and were rebels who refused to play by the rules of society. Their parenting was neglectful and dangerous. Her father was a highly intelligent man, but he was bent on self-destruction with his alcoholism, lack of self-control, inability to hold down a job, and paranoia. But he also had some redeeming qualities (her mom, not so much) in his love for his children, especially Jeannette, and promotion of reading and learning.
Having recently read Theodore Dalrymple's book Life at the Bottom, I could not help comparing the two books. Jeannette's memoir is a testament to the truthfulness of his book. The Walls family had much in common with the British underclass he describes, but they're from a different era where parents still cared about their children's education. Jeannette's mother proved what Dalrymple claimed is true of many homeless when she blamed NYC for their homelessness, stating, "They make it too easy. If it was unbearable, we'd do something else."
One of the things I appreciate most about Jeannette is that she worked hard and succeeded despite her tough childhood, she didn't have a victim mentality and never blamed her parents for her failures.
*There are profanities, mostly from Jeannette's father. There is also some inappropriate sexual touching of minors (the accounts are brief and not too detailed).
Jeannette's family was dysfunctional to the extreme. Her parents had a toxic relationship and were rebels who refused to play by the rules of society. Their parenting was neglectful and dangerous. Her father was a highly intelligent man, but he was bent on self-destruction with his alcoholism, lack of self-control, inability to hold down a job, and paranoia. But he also had some redeeming qualities (her mom, not so much) in his love for his children, especially Jeannette, and promotion of reading and learning.
Having recently read Theodore Dalrymple's book Life at the Bottom, I could not help comparing the two books. Jeannette's memoir is a testament to the truthfulness of his book. The Walls family had much in common with the British underclass he describes, but they're from a different era where parents still cared about their children's education. Jeannette's mother proved what Dalrymple claimed is true of many homeless when she blamed NYC for their homelessness, stating, "They make it too easy. If it was unbearable, we'd do something else."
One of the things I appreciate most about Jeannette is that she worked hard and succeeded despite her tough childhood, she didn't have a victim mentality and never blamed her parents for her failures.
*There are profanities, mostly from Jeannette's father. There is also some inappropriate sexual touching of minors (the accounts are brief and not too detailed).
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism