Ms Walls is a wonderful writer. Her descriptions of things and people are wonderful. This is the best book I have read all year... I found it interesting that she refers to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in that she has a similar writing style. I hope that it is made into a movie---a "Sundance" type of movie that is true to the book

Many of us do not realize that people live like that.
It proves any of us can pull our selves up from any condition. A wonderful book.

WOW is all i can really say about this book. Everything about it was amazing, although her life was rough she made it through and i love her for that. She is clearly wonderful and i can relate to her in some of her situations.

When I first was introduced to this book, to be honest I was just bored at work and needed something to read, The very first page I was sucked in, I never have cried, laughed, was angry and bitter everything I felt Jeannette and her siblings should have felt, Jeannette was always so strong and a leader and I was so proud of her success. I would recommend this book to everyone

I had the option of reading this book for my English class for and independent novel study and I am so glad that I chose it because it is amazing! You forget that you are actually reading a book about someone's life. It is absolutely memorizing and breath taking-ly captivating. I simply loved it and could not put it down ! I would recommend this book to anyone in a heart beat.

With parents like Jeannette had, it's a wonder that she, and her siblings, survived. Her parents, one one side, are feckless, self absorbed, mean-spirited, and on the other hand hopeless romantics ! The amazing part is that she turned out as successful, both personally and professionally , as she did. This book made me think about the human spirit's resiliency. It also made me think about how children either stay whole or fracture apart. A good book, well written, and one that will be discussed for years to come.

Jeannette Walls is a really strong woman (as are her siblings) to have survived her childhood. Though never physically abusive, her parents as revealed in her memoir, were totally feckless people who should not have been allowed to have children. Though her father was a highly intelligent man, he was always blaming someone else for his continuing failures, was a foul mouthed alcoholic who never understood himself nor his children. Her mother lived in a fantasy world with delusions of talent and was, with her husband, convinced of the conspiracy of government and all authority, who admired her own so-called values. And yet Jeannette, her sister and brother managed to break free of their family, leave West Virginia, and make good lives for themselves. They also tried to help their parents, to no avail.
Walls writes cleanly and forcefully, without self-pity, about a horrendous childhood, essentially raising herself, to become a talented, focused writer. I found the book compelling reading and was left in awe by the persistence of Jeannette, Lori and Brian. I would recommend it highly for anyone over the age of 12.

I found strength and a way to look everything in a very different perspective as I was reading this book. So blessed by the writer's honesty.