The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

 In all darkness there is light. Few stories can prove that out as well as Jeannette Wall's The Glass Castle.  This memoir of childhood draws a thin line between disappointment and acceptance, between love and hate, between success and failure.

The Glass Castle is a family reflection from the time Jeannette is three years old through to adulthood. There are many homes as the family is consistently uprooting as life becomes negative. This could be for financial reasons, because they have worn out their welcome in whatever location or simply because her parents thought it was time. Her father was a dreamer and an alcoholic. He struggled to hold down even the most menial jobs. Her mother was an unemployed teacher throughout a great portion of her childhood as well as a struggling artist. The story revolves around the poverty of the choices made by these two adults that rarely put the family ahead of their own wants and beliefs. It is important to point out that these parents were highly intelligent and could have done much more with their lives than they chose. I believe that is a key point in the story.

Jeannette wasn't alone. She had three siblings that suffered the same circumstances. Each reacted to their parents in very different ways but they were close to each other. Often being the strength they each needed. They were all hungry, all dirty and all put in situations that stable parents would never put them in. If the story played out today, I highly suspect the children would have been put "in the system".

 While reading I would find myself angry one minute when one of the parents had pulled a selfish stunt, but then the next minute I would be smiling when they would be thoughtful and caring. As much as I didn't want to, I fell in love with the parents. What they wanted was a simple life in a world that put material ideology ahead of the natural beauty we can all have. It is the way in which they went after those dreams that made the dreams dark. I also found the level of love the children had to be particularly unique. It showed the character they had, even when there was no logical reason for that character.

I would recommend The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls to any reader that enjoys a story of survival. It is a story that makes one think about how we turn into the people we are.