Thumbs way up! I just finished The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls and found it to be so interesting. What I found most surprising, was that even though the subject matter was often difficult to read (Walls' life was filled with neglect and the struggle to survive each day), it was done in such an un-drama-like way. It was partially so striking because I listened to the audio version and the reader did a great job reading the horrors of Walls' life with a sense of nonchalance and at times, even mirth.
Walls recounts her childhood from about 3 to adulthood and the many difficult things she had to endure (from getting burned, eating out of school trash cans, moving and being on the run, and almost raped to name a few). I know some people have criticized Walls' ability to remember things that occurred when she was a small child, but I think she should be given a little slack. While the events may not be 100% accurate, her story is one of survival and shows that if you put your mind to something and work hard, that you really can accomplish great things. It would have been so easy for Walls to play the victim, follow in her father's footsteps (a very smart man, who unfortunately, was very in love with the bottle), or live a life convinced that she wasn't worth anything, but she somehow managed to get past that and come out standing on top. It's well worth reading and makes me thankful and grateful for the childhood I had.
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