Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Jeannette Walls: The Glass Castle (2005)

I'd love to compare notes about Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle: A Memoir (2005). Have y'all read it? I know closely three people who have, for sure -- four, if you include me. 

The title comes from Rex Walls' detailed ideas for building a Glass Castle, but it also may work to remind readers of that proverb about stones and glass houses.

The book details the peregrinations of Rex and Rose Mary Walls and their four kids: Lori, Jeannette, Brian and Maureen. There is movement and there is place - in the American West, in Welch, West Virginia and in New York City. There are social interactions and there's environment. One can't help but compare and contrast geography, culture and social psychology -- at least I couldn't. Above all, it's an absorbing read. Can you dig?

Today's Rune: Signals. 

5 comments:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I can dig, indeed. And it sounds quite absorbing. Nice find.

jodi said...

Erik-a memoir? Social psychology? I'm in!

Anonymous said...

Hi Erik,

Glad to see your blog is still going strong. The Glass Castle was moving, disturbing and inspiring. How did those children survive that upbringing? How much of their parents' horrible child rearing was due to mental illness, addiction, and breathtaking selfishness. I actually came away feeling grateful to my father, an artist, who turned to advertising to feed his kids. He was no charmer as a father but we ate regularly. Happy New Year. -Mark

jodi said...

Erik-Started reading this one! Absorbing indeed!

jodi said...

Erik, I loved it. I loved Rex and Rose Mary's eternal and skewed optimism!