Book Review: 'The Glass Castle' by Jeannette Walls

 

✰✰✰✰½ Born to a brilliant father and an artist mother, the Walls children are smart, creative, and resourceful. Constantly on the move before social services steps in, the family travel from town to town. The children grow up mostly feral and learn to fend for themselves and each other. When they finally land in West Virginia, the siblings have the opportunity to attend school regularly. As the family situation declines, Lori, Jeannette, and Brian hatch a plan to escape to New York, one by one. This is a story of ingenuity, resilience, and survival. You’ll want to scream and cry and root for the Walls children. You’ll also cheer as they climb their way out of poverty. The stories will keep you turning the pages of this memoir of a neglected childhood.

The Bottom Line: This difficult topic is very relatable to many. Having to parent her parents, the author comes across as a survivor. I listened to the audio, which was read by the author; the audio was a good choice and very well done. While the book was well written, the film was less than accurate. Highly recommended for high school and college students because it is so relatable. Also, recommended for anyone who enjoys biographies and memoirs.

Book Club Notes: Our group agreed that while the text is easy to read, the subject matter can be difficult at times. Members noted there seemed to be some missing pieces of her life, like about her relationship and her younger sister. Everyone can connect with this story at some level. It reminds one of childhood and gives one a sense of perspective about one’s own struggles. This memoir is inspiring in the sense that Jeannette is able to overcome poverty and abuse to create a comfortable life for herself. Nevertheless, there is a bitterness there. Ratings for the book ranged from 4 - 5, with an average of 4.4 stars. Some hated the story, while others found value in this well written book. The author’s emotions definitely came through, and one member was uncomfortable with some of the scenes..

On the other hand, members gave the movie a much lower rating. We’ve been rating movies since 2017, and this was surprisingly the lowest rated at 2.85 stars. (Ratings ranged from 2 - 4.) The movie was not as personal as the book, but it was not a shock either. The Walls family did their best, but there were parts missing from the book. Threads of mental illness and forgiveness were braided throughout the story, and the author’s emotion was evident in this disturbing tale. With a theme of good overcoming evil, the group agreed there are many movies that are better. The classic movie Casablanca is one.

Overall, both the book and the movie are recommended for readers ages high school and above. There’s a lot to unpack and discuss. The movie was rated PG-13. Discussion questions are plentiful online; check out the following: JWU Providence Library, Princeton Book Review, Fable, and Almanace County Public Libraries.

Details: The Glass Castle: A memoir by Jeannette Walls. Paperback published by Scribner in 2006. 288 p. ISBN: 978-0-7432-4754-2