The Glass Castle is a memoir published in early 2005, and is written by Jeannette Walls about her

eccentric (and at times abusive) upbringing she experienced alongside her other siblings as they were

raised by extremely non-traditional parents: Rex and Rose Mary Walls.

The memoir opens with a more recent memory, before Jeanette delves into her childhood. While

in a cab driving through New York City, Jeanette spots her homeless mother sorting through a dumpster in the New York winter cold. Jeanette ducks to avoid being seen through the car window by her mother, but later feels guilty and takes her out to lunch, desperate to provide help of some sort.

The true story begins with Jeanette recounting her earliest memory; about how at the age of 3 she

suffered severe burns from cooking hotdogs by herself that resulted in a prolonged hospital stay.

However, she is broken out of the hospital by her father, Rex, when the nurses and doctors question if her

parents are guilty of child endangerment. This quick and questionable escape became known as “doing

the skedaddle,” a feat that is constantly repeated throughout Jeanette’s childhood.

As her father chases dreams of becoming rich, the Walls family lives a nomadic lifestyle across

America, never staying in one place too long out of fear of being found by law enforcement as they

evaded their debt. It was not uncommon for Jeanette and her siblings to be woken in the middle of the

night by their parents to do “the skedaddle.” In response to his children’s complaints of constantly moving and living in shacks with no electricity or plumbing, Rex promises his family that one day, he’ll find gold and become rich, and with this money he’ll build the Glass Castle— an entirely self-sustaining glass mansion in the desert. Hence the title of Jeanette’s memoir, The Glass Castle, as a nod to this unfulfilled promise made by her father.

Homeschooled by their parents, Lori, Jeanette, Brian, and Maureen Walls learn to read and do

math, in addition to receiving survival lessons from their father. Frequently living in desert towns,

Jeanette becomes fond of reading and exploring. Rex Walls struggles with alcoholism, which fluctuates in

severity throughout the book. Consequently, he has difficulty keeping a steady job which further

contributes to the family’s nomadic lifestyle and the poverty they endure.

Reflecting on her upbringing, Jeanette struggles with feelings of both love and admiration for her

parents, particularly her father, and feelings of disdain and anger as a result of the experiences she was

exposed to. While part of her resents her father, Jeanette acknowledges how she still looks back at some

of the good memories with him with fondness, and is able to separate the good in him from the bad after

his passing.

This was the first memoir that I ever read, and I was glued to it until I finished the book. Memoirs

are truly an overlooked book genre, and I’m thankful that this book introduced me to how fascinating

memoirs can be. I highly recommend this book if you’re someone who’s a bit apprehensive about reading

memoirs, as I found it to be extremely interesting in comparison to my preconceived notion of what a

memoir is usually like.

The Glass Castle deals with many sensitive topics, as encountered or observed by Jeanette,

including poverty, abuse, alcoholism, guns, death, addiction, and sexual assault. Personally I did not find

this to be a deterrent from reading it myself, but if you are sensitive to any of these topics just be aware

that they recur throughout the memoir.

Check out The Glass Castle from the Newport Beach Public Library!