The Glass Castle

If you ever feel like you need some reassurances about the job you are doing as a parent, then this is the book for you. The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls recounts her childhood experiences as she grows up with her eccentric parents. She and her siblings grow up basically in spite of their parents, because apparently their parents never did grow up. Her father, Rex is a brilliant nonconformist who cannot keep a job for very long and has "a little bit of a drinking situation," as her mother put it. Her mother, Rose Mary, is a self-absorbed artist who can't be bothered by everyday tasks... like cooking or cleaning the house.

Throughout their childhood, Jeannette and her siblings are basically left to fend for themselves. Their parents are constantly on the run (because they get in trouble or don't pay bills) and seldom have a steady income. They lived in many different towns, but nearly all the houses they lived in could be described as hovels. Rex and Rose Mary will not "take charity" or go on welfare, so often the children are left hungry and wearing threadbare clothing. Often the children are left to rummage through the garbage cans at school in order to have enough food to eat. Jeannette also describes coloring her legs so that the other children wouldn't notice the holes in her pants.

There was one scene in particular that I found to be disturbing. The children have had nothing but popcorn to eat for three days when they find their mother hiding under her covers eating a family size chocolate bar. She proclaims that she can't help it because she is a sugar-addict, just like their father is an alcoholic. I could not comprehend how these parents could put their needs before those of their children. The kids take the chocolate bar from her and split it amongst themselves.

Somehow her parents managed to raise very intelligent children. You got the feeling that if the children had been left in charge of the family, then perhaps they would have done better. Often it was the children that were trying to talk sense into their parents. One by one the children manage to leave and go live in New York. They are amazed by how easy it is to get a job and earn enough money to support yourself and things start to look up for the Walls' children.

Eventually their parents move to New York as well so they can "be a family again". The kids are smart enough (eventually) not to let their parents take over their lives or mooch off them. Eventually their parents end up homeless on the streets of New York. But as her mother said, "Why not? Being homeless is an adventure."

Rex and Rose Mary never seemed to learn from their mistakes. In the end you really come to see that they are living the way that they chose to live. I was just glad that the children managed not to end up like their parents.

I found this book to be very captivating... kind of in the way that a car wreck is captivating. You just can't stop reading because you can't imagine how it can get any worse... but somehow it does! Jeannette Walls is a great writer. Somehow she can describe her horrible childhood, and still make you see why she loves her parents. I think this book is definitely worth reading.