The Glass Castle: A Memoir | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeannette Walls
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $5.49
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Rating:  1157 reviews
Sales Rank: 131
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.8
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.82092
ASIN: B0017ODVA4
Publication Date: January 9, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In The Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's childrearing style laissez faire would be putting it mildly. As Rose Mary and Rex, motivated by whims and paranoia, uprooted their kids time and again, the youngsters (Walls, her brother and two sisters) were left largely to their own devices. But while Rex and Rose Mary firmly believed children learned best from their own mistakes, they themselves never seemed to do so, repeating the same disastrous patterns that eventually landed them on the streets. Walls describes in fascinating detail what it was to be a child in this family, from the embarrassing (wearing shoes held together with safety pins; using markers to color her skin in an effort to camouflage holes in her pants) to the horrific (being told, after a creepy uncle pleasured himself in close proximity, that sexual assault is a crime of perception; and being pimped by her father at a bar). Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them--despite their overwhelming self-absorption--resonates from cover to cover. --Brangien Davis
Product Description
Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home. What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor. TO INQUIRE ABOUT SCHEDULING JEANNETTE WALLS FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS PLEASE CONTACT: Keppler Speakers
Dustin L. Jones
Associate, College & University Division
703.516.4000 (P)
703.516.4819 (F)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1152 more reviews...
 What if this had been your life? January 6, 2009
Rebecca N. Phillips
The story in this book was very believable untill the end - this is the part that really made me question what I had been thinking to this point. I think the ending is what made the book mean more and has kept me talking about the book.
 Magical memories January 5, 2009
E. C. Buddenhagen (Denver, CO)
The author is able to write about, and remember her youth with grace. The Glass Castle never came to be, but her parents did give her the ability to dream.
Fabulous writing! January 2, 2009
J. Kuntze (Omaha, NE USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is not always an easy story to read (the neglect/abuse that is described is upsetting, to say the least), but you get the feeling that it is honest and as fair as possible. Despite the sadness and apparent hopelessness, it is an easy and quick read. Of course, knowing that in the end, the author is able, against all odds, to pull herself up and out of such desperation kept me reading along during even the hardest parts. The writing flows effortlessly, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Incredibly awesome! December 30, 2008
Carolyn Dargevics (Oshkosh, WI)
Normally, I don't like a lot of detail in a book and find myself skimming over elements that don't move the story forward, but this book's detail was fascinating -- every nuance of information kept me reading. I am amazed at how much detail Jeannette remembered from her childhood. I was raised in a chicken coop with my parents and two siblings and I couldn't possibly remember the details of that one home as she did with so many. What an amazing childhood -- in some respects I'm envious of that history but I guess I have my own. This was definitely a page-turner and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys getting lost in a story. Carolyn of [...].
The Best Book I've Read in A Long Time! December 28, 2008
S. Jensen (Michigan)
The truth is stranger than fiction....This book proves that! What a wonderful read and what a wonderful storyteller this author is! I read this for a book club and all of the members agreed that it was a book that you could not put down. Yes, it was that good.
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