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The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle
A Memoir
by Jeannette Walls
Hardcover: Mar 2005,
304 pages.
Paperback: Jan 2006,
304 pages.

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Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Olivia Lovell
AMAZING
This book was amazing! It had the perfect amount of adventure and drama that made it the perfect book. It was also really cool that it was a memoir because all of the things you read about really happened.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Reader
We get the point
The book was a great read, no argument there. But, 3/4' s of the book was rehashing over and over again the plight of the children, the dysfunctional mother, the alcoholic father, etc. We got it already. In the last few chapters, the children made it to New York, and life was great! All in two or three chapters! Wow. There was a lot of redundancy throughout the book, and I would have likes to have seen more about how the children overcame it earlier. All in all a great book, but could have wrapped up a lot sooner than it did.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Ana
you can do anything
This book made me think about all my life and see that I have everything to succeed in life. The author of the book past so many difficulties but at the end she became what she wanted. It also helped me to realize that I have everything and I don't give thanks for it.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Pamela
This book inspired rage, frustration, and finally, hope....
This is a memoir I will never forget and will forever be changed by. It has made me give pause to give thanks for the many simple daily things I take for granted, like eating a meal, or taking a bath. This story both enraged and inspired me. It seemed never acknowledged in the story that mental illness was behind much of the Walls' family dysfunction, but that's sort of an aside. What shines through most is the sheer grit and determination of the neglected Walls' children to carve a better life for themselves in spite of unimaginable odds. This book is an utterly devastating memoir. I sat late into the night reading, and crying. When I made soup and cabbage rolls today and my home was warm and fragrant, I thought of the Walls children foraging for food in the school trash cans and in the woods behind their crumbling shack of a home with no heat, no water, no toilet, no food. Are there more like this, even now, even in this great country of excess? We need to open our eyes and see, be aware, and act. Precious few made even a small attempt to intervene for these kids.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by mike
Hmmm
I don't get the "brilliance" of dad. In fact, he seemed like your blueprint alcoholic. They all have these grand barstool dreams, until the hangover sets in. These have been all over the place from the beginning of time. The rest doesn't seem fabricated. They happened to live in true hell on earth parts of America (West VA., yeesh!). What I'd like to see more than anything is Rose Mary Walls paintings. Anybody ever see them?

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Emma
mind-blowing
To really have experienced a life like Jeannette Walls's is amazing. To be able to pull through that situation and still be able to lead a normal life means that there is something truly exceptional about you.

I would recommend this book to anyone who believes that they are in a tough situation. Either you will realize that you are well off or you will be able to feel what Jeannette Walls felt during her childhood.
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