Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Here's a Good Read


Although I'm only half-way through The Glass Castle, I suspect that this might be one of the best books I've read this year. Craig's Mom recommended it to me a while back. So, I thought I'd toss it out. Here's the description on the back of the book:

The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But, when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

Wonder what I think?

Keep in mind, I'm only half way through, but so far I think that description is a nice way to put it. On the one hand, there is a lot of love in this family and the childhoods of these children are full of adventure, freedom, and creativity. But, the abuse (in all sorts of forms) is basically constant. I'm very interested to see what happens.
...............................................................................
In an effort to always provide a little extra, here's an interview with Jeannette Walls on the Diane Rehm show.

2 comments:

jen said...

i absolutely loved this book. but i also felt like they were abused in many respects. i cannot fathom some of the ways they had to live. it's a fantastic read though.

RandomBits said...

Read it. Loved it. Makes me very thankful I wasn't them. And very in awe of her fortitude.