Memoir Review: The Glass Castle is a daring and honest memoir about the coming of age of a woman born into a dysfunctional family. Jeannette Walls bravely retells her difficult childhood where her family was always packing up the few possessions they had and relocating to a new place in search of gold, or to escape an eviction notice. Jeannette's mother is intelligent, well-read, and creative, yet she refuses to conform to society in ways that only prohibit her from developing her talents. For example, she will not wear glasses because she believes the eyes need exercise and only those who are weak succumb to glasses, yet her biggest dream is to be an artist and a painter. Jeannette's father is equally brilliant, teaching his kids about physics, mathematics, and the the biology of the desert, yet he suffers from alcoholism which becomes so crippling that the family finds themselves always fighting to survive and keep going. Jeannette details her life at school, where she is often rummaging through the garbage to find something to eat while no one is looking. Once the family relocates to Welch, West Virginia, Jeannette has no friends other than her siblings, yet flourishes in writing when she becomes the editor of the high school newspaper. High School students will identify with Jeannette because she is a fighter and is able to turn her childhood tragedy into a tremendous success story. Jeannette can teach young readers that your circumstances at home do not dictate your future and that you should never give up on your dreams. I recommend this book to readers 13 and up. I would ask my students to think about if anyone has ever let them down. How did they react and recover from the let down? How does this relate to Jeannette's relationship with her dad? Do you think it's weird or uncomfortable that despite the way the family lives, Jeannette continues to love and defend her parents? What would you do?
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Renee Chaffin, EDRL 524 Fall 2016, The Glass Castle
Memoir Review: The Glass Castle is a daring and honest memoir about the coming of age of a woman born into a dysfunctional family. Jeannette Walls bravely retells her difficult childhood where her family was always packing up the few possessions they had and relocating to a new place in search of gold, or to escape an eviction notice. Jeannette's mother is intelligent, well-read, and creative, yet she refuses to conform to society in ways that only prohibit her from developing her talents. For example, she will not wear glasses because she believes the eyes need exercise and only those who are weak succumb to glasses, yet her biggest dream is to be an artist and a painter. Jeannette's father is equally brilliant, teaching his kids about physics, mathematics, and the the biology of the desert, yet he suffers from alcoholism which becomes so crippling that the family finds themselves always fighting to survive and keep going. Jeannette details her life at school, where she is often rummaging through the garbage to find something to eat while no one is looking. Once the family relocates to Welch, West Virginia, Jeannette has no friends other than her siblings, yet flourishes in writing when she becomes the editor of the high school newspaper. High School students will identify with Jeannette because she is a fighter and is able to turn her childhood tragedy into a tremendous success story. Jeannette can teach young readers that your circumstances at home do not dictate your future and that you should never give up on your dreams. I recommend this book to readers 13 and up. I would ask my students to think about if anyone has ever let them down. How did they react and recover from the let down? How does this relate to Jeannette's relationship with her dad? Do you think it's weird or uncomfortable that despite the way the family lives, Jeannette continues to love and defend her parents? What would you do?
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I have not read this book. Although the review is loaded with detail, it makes me eager to read this book. Now!
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