Jennifro

When Jessica finishes a book...

...you know it's gonna be good!

The Glass Castle is truly a captivating read; I could hardly put it down.  It is the story of a young girl and her brother and sisters with a genius alcoholic father and a completely artsy, wacko mother.  It is a fascinating story about her childhood, 

her feelings about her family and how she and her siblings managed to defy their insanely dysfunctional situation to become successful and well adjusted adults.  

Jeannette Walls, who is an MSNBC Entertainment reporter, recaptures the experiences of her childhood without the bias of her adulthood--which makes it even more interesting. The book begins with Jeannette as an adult living in New York and working as a reporter.  One evening on her way to a cocktail party, her taxi becomes stuck in traffic.  She looks out the window and sees a homeless woman rooting through the trash, and realizes it's her mother.  After this opening scene, the remainder of the book focuses on her upbringing as a child.  It's hard to believe that any one can live the way this family does.  As an example, they allowed Jeannette to cook meals on the stove by herself as a three year old--and that's nothing!

  Throughout the book, she remains true to her family even when the situation is what many would call abusive.  Her love for them is probably what empowers her to overcome her situation and blossom rather than fall into despair.  Her story is an inspiration and a real page turner.  Although the premise of the book is sort of disturbing, the book really isn't.  

I loved it and am really glad I read it. Thanks Jessica!