Do you have family members with bizarre and/or awkward quirks? Have you, or someone you know, endured trauma that makes it painfully difficult to connect with other people? Do you feel emotionally isolated or restless to the point of having a hard time dealing with reality? Do you feel like your issues impede your ability to support your family? Well, if you have answered “yes” to one or more these, then Tennessee Williams’ [b:The Glass Menagerie|92517|The Glass Menagerie|Tennessee Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391591003l/92517._SY75_.jpg|1324493] is the play for you!

I first read this play when I was in high school, and was struck by how familiar the Wingfield family felt. It was like stumbling on a scene that authentically captured the inherently uncomfortable (even painful) nature of distorted families with “issues.” Each character wants so desperately to connect or help, but is prevented by circumstance, or a desire for decorum, to be able to do so in any meaningful way. Re-reading this play as an adult, I can vouch that this description holds up long after the teenage angst has fallen to the wayside.

This is a play I would recommend tackling when you are in a headspace far from judgement, because this really is not a play with any true villain, only damaged individuals longing to be seen.