The Glass Castle

After a week-long trip, it usually takes me another week to recover from the travel. I used to attribute the long recovery period to my age. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it is probably due to my desire to ease back into a routine. That may be due to my age, since the older I become, the more I like to savor the journey. Either way, my week is almost up and it is time for me to get back to work. As John gently reminded me tonight, "Mom, the laundry is calling your name." He's right. The laundry is definitely piling up (although I don't feel sorry for him, since he is more than capable of throwing a load of jeans in the wash).

During my re-entry days, I have spent my time doing a whole lot of this and that, which adds up to not a lot of any one thing specific. I did, however, manage to eek out a few hours to sit by the fire and read a book, because for some odd reason, Old Man Winter has decided to show up after all. Where was he during the holidays when the temps were in the sixties? Colorado - that's where. Well now winter has moved into northern Virginia and I can honestly say that it is colder this week than it's been any time since we moved here nine years ago. The temperatures have not reached above freezing for days and the forecast is calling for more cold days ahead. In my mind, frigid temperatures and falling snow are good reasons to curl up by the fire and read a book. So that's what I did.

I don't write about every book I read because I am constantly reading and if I reviewed every book I read, I'd be writing daily book reports. This book, however, deserves mention because this was a book that literally rocked me to the core. Rarely do books take my breath away and give me pause to revisit my childhood and reflect on how I was raised. The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, was a book that did just that. And I was reminded that I have been blessed.

Jeannette Walls is a gossip columnist for MSNBC. She is educated, poised, articulate, and a really good reporter. I've watched her on television for quite some time, never knowing her background, and not knowing that she penned an amazing memoir. I guess I haven't paid that much attention to her background, because when I began reading the first page of this book, I remembered listening to an interview with Ms. Walls where she recounted the exact event that was written as the opening chapter of The Glass Castle. Knowing the adult she has become, made her story all the more astounding.

From the very first sentence of the book, I was sucked into reading this childhood memoir. And the more I read, the more astounded I became. There are children in America who actually live like Ms. Walls lived. Children who go without food. Children who fend for themselves. Children who don't have beds and never own new clothes. Children who do not bathe because they have no water. Children who are so used to poverty that they know no other life - they just survive because survival is what makes us human. And sometimes when children are faced with adversity, they overcome and grow up to become amazing adults, which is exactly what Jeannette Walls has done.

I'm ashamed to admit that although I was aware of these things, I had chosen not to think of them. Because by not thinking about poverty, I was able to go about my sheltered little life, doing my own selfish little thing. And I was able to do so without guilt, because by choosing to ignore one of the biggest problems of American society, I was able to live in my own Glass Castle.

When I think of poverty, I think of other countries. When I think of children fending for themselves, I think of children whose parents are either dead or in prison. What I don't think about is children who have two parents who love them the best they know how, but whose love is so misplaced that suffering occurs in spite of that love. Since reading this book, I have gained a better understanding of love, and families, and the ties that bind. My hope is that I will find a way to act upon this newfound understanding.

After reading The Glass Castle, it became very clear to me that the human spirit is a powerful thing. I realized that tenacity is worth more than any amount of money. When I closed the last page of The Glass Castle, I was reminded that the events that occur in childhood most certainly impact the adult a person will become. There is but one thing thing that makes the difference: what a person chooses to do with those childhood experiences will decide whether or not that person will grow stronger or lose hope. Ms. Walls grew stronger, and that is the true beauty of this astounding story.

Comments

[suzanne]

I read it too. Total page turner.
Good luck with Mount Laundry. I'm considering just lighting my own pile on fire and going shopping...

Suz

www.suzannebalvanz.blogspot.com

[Tracy]

Snowed in here with frigid temps, too. A good day for blogging. I love your book suggestions - I'm always looking for good books to curl up with. I'm reading Wally Lamb right now, myself.

[Gina]

I believe I saw her on Oprah and her parents were homeless and choosing to live that way? Thanks for the referral, I WILL be picking this up next week when I go home.

[meg]

this must be a wonderful book. just saw on rachael ray that the first lady just finished this book also. adding it to my list. i'm not big into biographies, but this sounds like a must read.

[renee]

This sounds like a must read. Thanks for the review.

[Becky H]

I think I read this book in 2 days. Could not put it down. Ms Walls made me feel like maybe my upbringing wasn`t so bad, although we could compare some stories. She is an inspiration!

[monica gonzalez]

wow this sounds like a must read!
thanks for the review! :)

[Kip]

I love biographies and have read hundreds but now I'll definitely need to get this one too.

Kip

[Kip]

I love biographies and have read hundreds but now I'll definitely need to get this one too.

Kip

[Adrienne]

Now this sounds fantastic. Thanks for the review!

[Susan]

I read that book this summer and it hit me the same way. She really did pull herself up by her bootstraps and didn't feel sorry for herself. There are so many people in the world that would let that kind of upbringing determine their destiny, but she didn't. I made my 25YO DD read it, too. I think I'll re-read it. She lives in VA now, too, I think.
Susan

[JulieK]

Oh! Sounds like a wonderful book... Off to put it on my "I need to get this" list!

[Julie @BalzerDesigns]

Great, great, great review of this book! Definitely putting in on my "to read" list! Thanks for sharing!

[Amy Sorensen]

Kell, this book has been on my "read this soon" list for quite a while...your post might have just pushed it into my amazon cart! Thanks for a great review!