I've written this post in my head for about two months now. This is one of those books that, once read, sticks with you. I read "The Glass Castle" a couple of years ago. Then read her second book "Half Broke Horses" earlier this year. Then, I was in between books with nothing to read. I picked up "The Glass Castle" and reread it. (which I never do)
Reading this book again blew me away. If you haven't read it, I'm not sure we can still be friends (J/K). Here is the Amazon book 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."
I simply can't throw this book away even though it is tattered.
My darling dogs got ahold of it. Apparently they loved it too!
The author
I could go on and on with my own review, but suffice it to say that I loved it and my life was changed by the story. I am more thankful for the things I have and thankful to the parents I was blessed to be raised by.
I love this video. Jeannette's mother is actually in it and it made the whole story come full circle.
I was thrilled when Jeannette Walls came out with a second book. She calls it a "novel" because there was no way for her to check her facts. Otherwise, it could be called a memoir. It is an oral history that her mother and grandmother told her about Lily Casey. She was a crazy, strong, independent lady. I will be reading this book again as well. Here is Jeannette talking about the book. I just love her voice.
...my darling daughter Melissa Rae Anderson's graduation from Utah Valley University. Her major is in Business Marketing. She is obviously much smarter than her mother! She didn't want a "fancy" invitation and thus requested her dad to draw her likeness in doodle form. We loved how it turned out.
I could NOT find pictures of Brenton and his family (I'm sure he must go by Brent by now but he'll always be "Brenton" to me). These were all I could find. His wife's name is Tami (like me) and he has four gorgeous daughters. He is Rhonda's second oldest son. I should probably call him Dr. Loose since he is an optometrist and all. Brenton lived with my parents for a summer. I remember him beginning his monthly fast the evening before so that he would be able to fast for a full 24 hours. I honestly think of his example every month.
This is Cameron. He is Rhonda's third oldest son. He is married to Jodie. I met Jodie in Vancouver when we went to Darin's wedding (many years ago) when she and Cam were still dating. They have three children (?). The one in the picture is Carter. I remember my mother going on and on and on about how smart Carter was. He was obviously a favorite. My fondest memory of Cam is the day at my mom's when we were playing with the fake arrow! (I really need to find those pictures) During that same activity, Cam took a mattress (YES! a mattress) and tied it around his body. He then covered it with a bedspread and tied it around his waist. He looked like a large woman sumo wrestler. Good times!
This is Brandon. He is my sister Donna's second to youngest child. As you can see, he has a little family of his own now. He is married to Tia. They have a cute little girl and a cute little boy. I haven't seen Brandon for quite a while. He did come to Erika's wedding reception. I miss him.
So...here's Doyle Talbot! He is my sister Donna's husband. Wow! I have many, many memories of Doyle. I spent almost every summer with my sister between the time I was five and 15. Of course, Doyle was a big part of that summer. Looking back, I wonder what he thought of his sister-in-law invading his house every summer. My most prominent memory of Doyle is that he worked SOOOO hard on his farm. He would go out early every morning and come home late at night. He was a great big brother for me.
This guy has a very special spot in my heart. He is a gentle giant of a man. His name is David Talbot and he is my sister Donna's second oldest child and oldest son. He is married to Tansy and has two girls and a boy who looks just like he did as a child. As I mentioned before, I spent a lot of time in the Talbot household during my younger years. David was one of my very favorites. Just ask him about our 'WHEEEEE rides". One of my favorite stories about David is when he came up to Canada with his family. He was only about four years old. We were visiting my Uncle Chet who is quite the character. We were having a family prayer (probably on the food) and David was asked to pray. In the middle of his prayer, he used his thumb to point to Uncle Chet (I was peeking) and said "...and bless that me and him (pointing) will have a good wrastle later". I love that kid.
