BOOK REVIEW: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Front cover image of The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Image borrowed from Amazon title listing.

In the last year, I have picked up far more nonfiction than I ever anticipated for myself. I joined a book club that focuses on nonfiction books so I could expand my knowledge and my personal scope.

While some nonfiction does maintain a dry, informative tone, I've found that memoirs tend to develop a unique voice all their own, and The Glass Castle is no exception. Jeannette Walls illustrates her story with a unique perspective, most notably delivering shocking anecdotes with the casual perspective of a child who sees those memories as part of her "normal." Compounded with today's common views on parenting and neglect, Jeannette's story continues to reveal itself as one of survival despite the odds stacked against her.

A Note on the Author

Jeannette Walls launched her career in writing early in life, beginning with an internship that she describes in The Glass Castle. Of course, this memoir has elevated her as a now bestselling author, but upon finishing the book, I had to know more about her family situation. Surely, I thought, she wouldn't still have a relationship with her mother. According to People Magazine, however, Jeannette maintains a relationship with her mother, despite the tensions that came from sharing the family's hardships and neglect.

Photo of the author. Posted on the Simon & Schuster website. Photograph by John Taylor

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Summary

The story begins, at first, with a glimpse into Jeannette's adulthood. From inside a taxi, she sees her mother digging through trash in New York City. It becomes clear quickly that her mother is homeless. Shortly thereafter, the two are together at lunch and Jeannette explains how embarrassed she is to publicly acknowledge who her parents are, what their life was truly like, who she is.

"Mom, I saw you picking through trash in the East Village a few days ago." "Well, people in this country are too wasteful. It's my way of recycling." She took a bite of her Seafood Delight. "Why didn't you say hello?" "I was too ashamed, Mom. I hid." Mom pointed her chopsticks at me. "You see?" she said. "Right there. That's exactly what I'm saying. You're way too easily embarrassed. Your father and I are who we are. Accept it." "And what am I supposed to tell people about my parents?" "Just tell the truth," Mom said. "That's simple enough."

Some might say that this memoir goes so far as to romanticize the neglect within its pages, but I'm not sure that that's exactly what we should take away from this book. There is without question neglect and abuse in this family. I remained slack-jawed in shock from page to page for most of the story. However, it's more important, I think, to treat Jeannette's hard work and her voice as a story of survival. She almost certainly used writing this book as an avenue towards healing, and each person who reads this story has been entrusted with her most vulnerable roots.

Critical Analysis

Overview

Typically, I would keep up with annotations while I read. I often try to keep my annotations critical and scholarly so that I can later develop a deep dive into the text. For this book, though, I realized early on that dissecting this one in an academic manner was simply not how I wanted my reading experience to go. My annotation tabs included topic labels like:

My personal annotated copy of The Glass Castle

• Literally Gasped (shock/horror)

• I can't believe this...

• Scary!

• Toxic AF

• Upsetting (sadness/frustration/anger)

• You have got to be kidding.

• Uh...guys? Your kids? Remember them?

From a creative writing standpoint, this book is incredibly well crafted. Each transition from section to section and chapter to chapter is seamless. In fact, the writing style made the book so easy to read, I almost kept thinking that it was fiction. All in all, I couldn't put it down, and finished it in only a couple of days.

Rose Mary and Rex Walls (Jeannette's parents) seem to have no sense of accountability or responsibility. I would almost be convinced that they didn't want their children at all, but there are moments that certainly show their father aiming to be a great dad. By the end of the book, I think I was just disappointed in them. The Walls parents continuously prove an inability (or lack of desire) to escape the life of struggle they've weaved for themselves and their children. Of course, we can see that Rex is struggling with addiction and never receives the care he might have needed to recover. Their mother, though, continues to shock me with her choices even now that the book is over.

I have to remind myself that Jeannette and her siblings would have grown up in the 1960's and 1970's, when the country was still so different. The resources available for addiction, childcare, and crisis were so lacking or inconsistent. Racial tensions were still at an all-time high and Child Protective Services wasn't nearly as strong an organization as it seems to be now.

Jeannette and her siblings seem to have done the impossible: they broke the cycle. They seem to have avoided the abuse, addiction, and poverty that they were raised with, at least if the end of the book is to be believed as-is.

Conclusion

Ultimately, The Glass Castle yanked on every heartstring and protective instinct I could muster. It was exhausting to read because it simply made me care so much.

A review from Newsweek at the front of the book says, "You'll root for the Walls family," and I did not. The family was a disaster and it's a miracle those kids all got out completely on their own. I came to tears when Jeannette gave up her escape opportunity to her older sister, Lori.

A review at the start that resonates well comes from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"Charles Dickens's scenes of poverty and hardship are no more audacious and no more provocative than those in the pages of this stunning memoir."

The Walls children are each a living testament to independent success. With enough determination and strategy, anyone can obtain the life they want–no excuses.

Rating

4 stars

I devoured this book over a long weekend. It came with me to 4th of July fireworks, and stayed snuggled with me on the couch and in bed until the last page was turned. I would recommend this book a thousand times over; I think it would be more valuable than any self-help book. It was an emotional toil, though, so I think I'll be moving on to something a bit more lighthearted next! Overall, I truly enjoyed this book, and I think it has impacted me for a long time to come. I've chosen to rate it with 4 stars.