The Glass Castle

I'd heard this was sad, so I avoided it..but one of my friends let me borrow it and I ended up loving it. It is sad. Especially because this memoir involves two parents who I believe really did love their children...but were crazy. Some of the stories of what Jeannette Walls and her three brothers and sisters went through are jaw dropping and some of the other ones cracked me up (including a story about a rat the size of a cat). This is definitely a modern day nomadic tale involving two parents who should have never procreated because they simply couldn't raise their children. The broken promises (such as The Glass Castle) by an alcoholic, but brilliant father, and the nonchalant attitude of her mother really makes you grateful for the small things in life (such as electricity, a toilet, etc)

This book isn't for the faint of heart, especially because it will make you angry. But it is so eloquently written and not done in a way in which the author is saying "poor me". It is what it is. And now Jeanette Walls is a contributor on MSNBC despite the poverty, emotional abuse, and starvation. I will never look at her the same when I see her television.