The Blog Less Traveled

The Glass Castle is a memoir written by Jeannette Walls chronicling her childhood and early adult life. To say she had a very hard and unusual upbringing would be an understatement, to say the least. As I read it, there were times when it was almost too incredible to believe. I did wonder if there was any embellishment on the author’s part to spice up the book. In the end, I have to believe that wasn’t the case because you would think her siblings or mother could easily dispute the veracity of the content. Some of the events in her childhood bordered on the bizarre. Some were downright awful, some were humorous and some were, in my humble opinion, child abuse/neglect. Her parents definitely had some issues. It made me laugh, it made me sad and it made me appreciate the relatively easy childhood I had. Considering all she went through, it’s an amazing journey and a clear example of what the human spirit can endure. Her writing style is engaging and she has weaved her story in a way that, for the most part, is very nonjudgmental when you consider the circumstances and events she endured.

This is definitely not a guy book. It could certainly fall under the category of a “babe book”, assuming that term carries the same connotation as “chick flick”. I’m still not quite sure what to make of it. In the end, you hope it’s the human spirit conquering and overcoming life’s sometimes cruel and tragic events. I would definitely recommend it, especially to my “lady” friends.