The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle is the slightly horrifying memoir of Jeannette Walls, who was raised by a couple of dreamers who eschewed modern society and all its responsibilities and requirements. Her mother was an artist who bristled at the idea of holding down a steady job. Her father was a big dreamer, sure he was on the verge of making it rich. Unfortunately, he was also an alcoholic, who drank more money that he earned. The result was a family that was constantly on the move, running from debts and responsibilities, and a group of children who learned to be mature and resourceful beyond their years.

Despite her unstable childhood, Walls clearly has a deep love for both of her parents. She introduces her father first through his ideas and his intelligence. He has big plans, and it seems like he has the brains to pull them off. He just doesn't have the patience. Or, it becomes more and more clear as the book goes on, the sobriety.

This book was an incredible story of resourcefulness and forgiveness. There were certainly times of extreme poverty, with no food or heat. There were also grand adventures. Walls and her siblings learned early on to be brave, to stand up for themselves and each other, to help each other out as much as they could. By the end of the book I was astonished at the lives they had managed to make for themselves, even as their parents continued to insist on living off the grid.

There were times when I felt like a bit of a voyeur reading this book, and there were even more times that I found myself grateful for the stability in my own life. But I'm glad that I read it and was reminded of the incredible resilience we humans are capable of.