Content area
Full text
Walls, J. (2005). The glass castle: A memoir. New York: Scribner.
DOI: 10.1177/0016986208319975
The Glass Castle: A Memoir is the harrowing survival story of gossip columnist Jeanette Walls's journey through poverty to prosperity. At its center are Walls's colorful and unconventional parents: Rex Walls, a captivating and intelligent would-be inventor who is stymied by alcoholism, and Rose Mary, an eccentric artist and self-admitted "excitement addict" with little interest in domestic responsibilities or raising children. Rex and Rose Mary simultaneously evoke admiration and contempt as they impart to their children many practical, enduring life skills while depriving them of basic necessities. The Walls siblings learn to be selfsufficient, albeit at a much too early age, in the face of their parents' stubborn refusals to sacrifice their own interests for the welfare of their children. Living in half-deserted mining towns or in their car, the Wallses wander the southwestern United States, doing "the skedaddle" when jobs don't last, bill collectors come calling, or an urge for adventure strikes. They eventually settle in Welch, West Virginia, where their hardships multiply and prompt the Walls children, in turn, to follow the promise of a better life to New York City. There, Jeannette Walls completes her senior year of high school, attends Barnard College on scholarship, and becomes a successful journalist. Rex and Rose follow their children to the city, opting for a life on the streets over opportunities to live more comfortably. The book's title, a reference to the house of glass Rex Walls promised he would build someday, is a symbol of the faith in the future, a priceless gift from a father who loses hope for himself but not for his children.
The Glass...