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The Glass Castle: A Memoir | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeannette Walls
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $4.00
You Save: $11.00 (73%)
New (97) Used (194) Collectible (5) from $3.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  1024 reviews
Sales Rank: 104
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.8
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5 x 0.4
ISBN: 074324754X
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.82092
EAN: 9780743247542
ASIN: 074324754X
Publication Date: January 9, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In The Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's childrearing style laissez faire would be putting it mildly. As Rose Mary and Rex, motivated by whims and paranoia, uprooted their kids time and again, the youngsters (Walls, her brother and two sisters) were left largely to their own devices. But while Rex and Rose Mary firmly believed children learned best from their own mistakes, they themselves never seemed to do so, repeating the same disastrous patterns that eventually landed them on the streets. Walls describes in fascinating detail what it was to be a child in this family, from the embarrassing (wearing shoes held together with safety pins; using markers to color her skin in an effort to camouflage holes in her pants) to the horrific (being told, after a creepy uncle pleasured himself in close proximity, that sexual assault is a crime of perception; and being pimped by her father at a bar). Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them--despite their overwhelming self-absorption--resonates from cover to cover. --Brangien Davis
Product Description
Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home. What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor. TO INQUIRE ABOUT SCHEDULING JEANNETTE WALLS FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS PLEASE CONTACT: Keppler Speakers
Dustin L. Jones
Associate, College & University Division
703.516.4000 (P)
703.516.4819 (F)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1019 more reviews...
 deep story May 17, 2008
One Day She'll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel
Yesterday a friend was telling me that I had to read this book......a powerful memoir...he said..it reminds me of One Day She'll Darken...
Classic Memoir May 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I agree with others - it is a page turner. I couldn't put it down
It was very well written. Funny at times. Expresses a sad and heartfelt story is a clever way. It was brave of Jeanette to share her life's story.
Loved it!
 Verification? May 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I agree with many, a memory going back to three years old is almost absurd. Also, has anyone bothered to verify her story? People have spent many hours on A Million Little Pieces and found many facts in his story false, but what about hers? Has anyone checked hospital records, birth records and asking questions? I think too many people focused on Frey's book and not hers, which maybe worth verifying before taken as true.
What "The Road" should have been May 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
While I would not call "The Glass Castle" high art, I did find it inspirational and, as others have said, courageously written.
I also recently read "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy. Although I realize that was a novel, it seemed to me that the feelings it wanted to evoke, the human connections it was trying to make--but failed miserably, in my opinion--were fully realized in "The Glass Castle."
If you are looking for a book that will move you and demonstrate just how much a child can love her parents, choose "The Glass Castle." It will stay with you for a long, long time after you turn the final page.
The Glass Castle: A Memoir May 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wonderful book! I got this book to read as it was on the freshman reading list at a college - for kids to get in touch with their own lives and understanding them - and perhaps how to let it go and get on with it - which seems to be a problem these days! I found that it parralled with my own life - and helped me see through the hard times i experienced!
Very thoughtful and insightful - well written.
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