When I suggested The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls to my office book club, I warned everyone that it would cover some tough subjects... But I had no idea that the topics would be incredibly hard to read. While the book was beautifully written, I had to keep setting it down and walking away.

As I said above, there were many really tough topics that may be triggering to some; lying, cheating, alcoholism, destructive violence, sexual assault, child neglect, et cetera.

Memoirs are so hard for me to review simply because their content is all true. Of course, all of the hardships that Jeannette went though shaped her into the person she became later in life and all that... But throughout the entire reading, I couldn't help but think how toxic the siblings childhood was. Sure, there was clearly love there as well, but a lot of it was just not okay.

It was so heartbreaking to see how the author excused all of the bad behavior when she discussed her childhood. Of course, as a child, she didn't know any better and she captured that past persona beautifully.

As the memoir progressed, I was very happy to see that Jeannette really began to grow and see how destructive their lifestyle was. I loved seeing her make positive life changes as she worked to improve her life. Closer to the end of the memoir, I will say that I was quite bummed that she didn't completely cut the toxic people from her life, but I can also understand why she didn't.

This memoir was beautifully written. Another issue that I usually have with memoirs is that they seem so choppy. But that was not the case here! The organization and flow was wonderful.

Even though the writing was beautiful, the content was very difficult. Many of the stories got my blood boiling! I couldn't make a guess as to how many times I set this book down and walked away because it was just too heavy for me. I mean, take just these stories and quotes for example:

* Tossing a cat out on the side of the highway because it didn't like to travel.

* Driving through the desert trying to hit the pregnant mother with the car as she ran away.

* "For some reason, she didn't have it in her to say no to him. If she tried, he'd argue and wheedle and sulk and bully and plain wear her down.

* "But Mom," I said, "that ring could get us a lot of food." "That's true," Mom said, "but it could also improve my self-esteem. And at times like these, self-esteem is more vital than food."

* "Eventually, even Mom acknowledged that I'd done all right. 'No one expected you to amount to much,' she told me. 'Lori was the smart one, Maureen the pretty one, and Brian the brave one. You never had much going for you except that you always worked hard.'"

My favorite parts of the book were the happy moments that the siblings had. Like the mattress catapult, the bike gifts, and even the river rat in the bedroom. I only wish we had gotten more upbeat stories to outweigh the more negative.


Favorite passages:
I wondered if all fire was related, like Dad said all humans were related, if the fire that had burned me that day while I cooked hot dogs was somehow connected to the fire I had flushed down the toilet and the fire burning at the hotel. I didn't have the answers to those questions, but what I did know was that I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes.

That was the thing to remember about all monsters, Dad said: They love to frighten people, but the minute you stare them down, they turn tail and run.

"Life is a drama full of tragedy and comedy," Mom told me. "You should learn to enjoy the comic episodes a little more."

At times she'd be happy for days on end, announcing that she had decided to think only positive thoughts, because if you think positive thoughts, then positive things will happen to you. But the positive thoughts would give way to negative thoughts, and the negative thoughts seemed to swoop into her mind the way a big flock of black crows takes over the landscape, sitting thick in the trees and on the fence rails and lawns, staring at you in ominous silence.

...a fifteen-minute subway ride south and about half a dozen worlds away...


My final thoughts:
Definitely a worthwhile read, just personally not for me because it was so negative and upsetting. I gave this book four stars, but I would not pick it up again.

That all being said, I am really looking forward to seeing the movie staring Brie Larson!