The Glass Castle

I have chosen the book "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls for my book talk. It is the autobiography of Jeanette Walls, telling the story of her odd, but extraordinary childhood.

Jeanette and her siblings, Lori, Brian, and Maureen, live with their parents in an assortment of places as they grow up. Often on the run, the family lives everywhere from the desert, to a small town, and even spend nights on the beach. They never become too attached to homes, things, or other people. I think this would be very hard, as they have nobody to turn to except for each other. At the same time, it would make memories, family, and dreams more important.

Her mother, Mary, is an artist, always painting and sculpting everything. She often changes her style, nothing ever looks the same. Lori, Jeanette's older sister, spends lots of time sketching and drawing with her mother. Jeanette's mother is very content with close to nothing. She doesn't believe in rules or much discipline, she thinks people have to get some things out of their system when they are young. I like this way of thinking, letting people learn from their mistakes, instead of punishing them.

Jeanette's father, Rex Walls, is a brilliant man. He teaches his children everything he thinks is important, from binary numbers to how to shoot a pistol, how to embrace life fearlessly and live it to the fullest. But when he is drunk, he changes into a dishonest and destructive person. He often makes rash decisions that seem grand at the time, but later pay the price.

One year, when the Walls don't have money to buy Christmas present, Rex takes Lori, Jeanette, and Brian out into the desert one by one. He shows them the stars, tells them that they are "one of the special treats for people like us who live out in the wilderness". Then he tells them to pick out a star to keep. They laugh about the kids who got nothing but cheap plastic toys for Christmas"Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten, you'll still have your stars."I really like this part of the story. It is one of the moments when Rex Walls is in a brilliant mood, and the things he says are so true. He is a wise man when he wants to be. If everyone lived in the fashion of the Walls, living simply, enjoying everything, realizing what really matters, this world would be a completely different place.