Her earliest memory was of being on fire. She was three years old. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Wall describes her dysfunctional childhood that seems all too insane to be real. Her non-conformist parents, Rex and Rose, focused on selfish pleasures rather than the provision of their 4 children. As a result, the children took care of themselves in every way. The family lived like nomads, 'skedaddling' from desert to desert and eventually, to West Virginia, where all of their problems multiplied. For most of Jeannette's life, she dealt with a severely alcoholic father, wore tattered clothes, and had to scavenge food from trash bins. Despite her family's extreme poverty, Jeannette never gave up on her dream of becoming a New York City journalist. The odds were certainly against her, but her resilience could not be broken. Eventually, all four kids made it out of Welch to New York. Jeannette's perseverance, work ethic, and zest for life are overwhelmingly inspiring. If she can make her dreams come true, so can I. So can you. She started from the bottom now she here.
Some people are born to be story tellers. Jeannette Wall is one of those people. Unlike some memoirs about unhappy childhoods, you'll never hear Wall whining about her upbringing. Her ability to share her story while retaining compassion and grace for her parents is incredibly beautiful. If you are into survival stories, do yourself a favor and read The Glass Castle.
But seriously...before they develop it into a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence.
_________________________
After finishing this novel, I was reminded that I have so many things to be grateful for:
Parents who love and support me.
My car.
A place to call home.
My health.
My health.
Stability.
My education.
Never going hungry.
My bed.
[Jeannette slept in a cardboard box]
Fabulous clothes & shoes.
My computer that allows me to write this blog.
What are you grateful for?
xx,
E
I'm grateful for the unconditional love of parents! And a bunch of other things (: This is a book that I would like to read soon though.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend Jeannette Wall's other book a biography/novel based on her grandmother's life titled "Half Broke Horses".
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I'm grateful for a job that allows me enough to afford a comfortable life but little enough to be smart about it. I'm grateful for old friends that thanks to the internet and facebook I'm able to stay in touch with. And of course I'm thankful for my family.
Thanks for visiting my blog last week! I also have a star tattoo :)