the glass castle

                Its cover, plain white with an uninteresting blue border, does nothing to draw the eye of those browsing the shelves of the bookstore on Saturday afternoon. I bought it for fifty cents at a yard sale and can honestly say if it hadn’t been so cheap I never would have read “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls.

                I can also say if I hadn’t picked it up out of a cluttered cardboard box that summer day I would have missed out. Walls’s words are mesmerizing; they suck you in as she makes you laugh and cry at the same time. They evoke anger and frustration as well as hope. I traded Friday night dinner and drinks to lie in bed and read the vivid descriptions of her cursed childhood. The next morning I was exhausted and hit my snooze button three times before dragging myself up out of bed for work because I couldn’t go to bed without knowing the end.

So what is this book with the boring cover about? It’s a memoir that begins in Walls’s childhood and follows her as she achieves success despite all odds. Of course, this sounds unoriginal but the Walls family is so unique that the reader can’t help but be simultaneously intrigued by their utter dysfunction and envious of their love. One part hilarious, one part disturbing, and two parts shocking, this is a story so good that it has to be true because nobody could make it up.

One the perimeter of the story lie problems that plague many. Alcoholism, homelessness, and mental illness all play a role in “The Glass Castle” making it relatable, though almost everyone who reads it will be thankful for their own lives as they realize they didn’t have it that bad after all. If you’re thinking the book sounds pretty miserable, it is.  At the same time, it is inspiring, hopeful, and thought-provoking.  Without a doubt, the reader will want to draw from Walls’s strength and drink in her depth. Walls writes with certainty and her descriptions are perfect. Her storytelling ability is unmatched as she knows how to balance heavy topics and humor but it is her uncanny ability for forgiveness, acceptance, and love that make “The Glass Castle” worth reading again and again.