Book Review "The Glass Castle"

I recently read a book that my mother gave me called, The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls. It is the author's account of her life.

Jeannette Walls today is a reporter for MSNBC, but growing up was a different story. "The Glass Castle" is her account of her childhood and life before she became a reporter. This is a very poignant book and I highly recommend it.

Her childhood was a very interesting one to say the least. She grew up with two very colorful parents and had many unique experiences. Her family never stayed in one place for long and moved from town to town. She grew up very poor, because her parents didn't really hold down regular jobs. And her father was also an alcoholic.

She tells the story in very precise details, recounting pretty much everything that happened to her since her first memory starting at three years old. And a lot of things did happen to her, I don't want to give away to many details, because you should read this book for yourself. But let's just say she experienced everything from digging food out of trash to living in a house with no electricity or running water. And many more things that are to numerous to mention and, like I said I don't want to give away to many details.

This book is told in a bittersweet way. At some points you can't help but laugh at how absurd some of the things that happened to her were, and other times you want to cry at how horrible her childhood was. This is one of those books that you read, and don't soon forget after you put it down. You read it and continue to think about it days, weeks, even months later.

"The Glass Castle" is not the usual kind of book that I read. So when my mother gave it to me I wasn't sure at first. But after reading it I really am glad that I did. It really gives you something to think about. I recommend this book to anyone who likes memoirs and stories of people rising above hard times and then succeding despite it all.

I can't speak for anyone else, but after I read this book I appreciated that, I didn't have it so bad growing up compared to this. Like the author Jennette Walls says at the beginning of the book, anyone that's interesting has a past. And this is one interesting story!