The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls
image & summary from publisher description on worldcat.org - “Journalist Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary and their four children lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family. When the money ran out, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town Rex had tried to escape. As the dysfunction escalated, the children had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they found the resources and will to leave home. Yet Walls describes her parents with deep affection in this tale of unconditional love in a family that, despite its profound flaws, gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life.”
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JHT’s comments – As I read I kept thinking it couldn’t get any worse for these children, yet it did. It’s one thing to want to do things for your children that are “outside” the system and outside the norm. But in my mind parents have a responsibility to their children to feed, clothe, and house them in safety. That requires some responsibility on the part of the parents.
These parents didn’t get that message. They were very caught up in their own their own desires and way of life. They seemed oblivious to how their choices were affecting their four children. The father didn’t want anyone telling him what to do and how to do it. When he couldn't pay the bills or things got tough for him, he got fired or quit (if he happened to have a job), got drunk, and/or left town. The mother often seemed more interested in her painting than her children. She described herself as an “excitement addict.”
At one point one of the young children reminded the mother that they had no heat in their house, no food, and the children were hungry. “Mom gave me a startled look. I’d broken one of our unspoken rules: We were always supposed to pretend our life was one long and incredibly fun adventure.” (69)
Glass castle referred to the dream house the father said he was going to build for his family. This was one of many promises he never kept.
I could go on and on about these parents, the choices they made and how the children were affected. It sounds like a depressing read, and in some ways it was. The good news is that three of the children escaped the dysfunctional situation, went to New York City, and made successful lives for themselves. The parents followed the children to NYC and chose to be homeless and then squatters even though the children offered to help.
Jeannette Walls was born in 1960; this is a modern day story. Sadly, too many children are growing up in dysfunctional families.
Walls' advice for neglected children – “Trust yourself. You’re stronger than you realize, and you’ll make it through this. And the most horrible experience often has a precious gift wrapped inside, if you are willing to receive it.” Read the whole interview here.
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This book reminded me of others I read last year about children who had to deal with “unconventional”, some would say negligent, parents. The spunk of the children helps them deal with their family situations.
Alexandra Fuller’s books about growing up in various central and southern African countries with her British parents
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