<h3>The Glass Castle: A Memoir</h3>

Walls, J. (2005). The Glass Castle: A Memoir. NY: Scribner. ISBN: 9780743247535.

Plot Summary:
Jeannette Walls grew up as one of four children with parents whose values and resistance to conforming were both a curse and a salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls’ failure in traditional parenting forced their children to live like nomads in Southwest desert towns and mountain communities. Rex is a charismatic, brilliant man who captured his children's imaginations, taught them physics, geology and how to embrace life fearlessly…when he is sober. Rose Mary paints and has little tolerance for the responsibility of providing for her family or for contending with activities that provide no excitement.

When the family money evaporates, the Walls retreat to the dismal West Virginia mining town that Rex Walls has done everything he could to escape. As the dysfunction of this family escalates, Jeannette and her siblings fend for themselves, supporting one another as their parents' betrayal and absence become intolerable enough for them to leave home. They progressively move to New York and find success as their parents eventually choose homelessness in New York. In the end, Jeannette discovers that the family didn’t actually have to live that way and that it was a chosen way of life.

Critical Evaluation: This is a rare autobiography that lays out all events without much interpretation or judgment on the intentional part of the author. She describes her family life with sensitivity, generosity and heartbreaking honesty. It’s hard to believe she and her siblings endured enough extraordinary events to fill a lifetime with anger, yet is able to convey in this book a love and sympathy for her parents and their past. Despite the overwhelming frustration she (and the readers) feels towards her family, it’s story about transformation and overcoming childhood obstacles. This is a stunning memoir that’s hard to put down and it’s superbly written by someone who emerges from the pain of poverty into a self-made, successful individual.

Reader’s Annotation:
Growing up in secret poverty with parents who are emotionally or physically absent, can Jeannette and her siblings ever find a way to survive?

Information About the Author:
Jeannette Walls was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up in the southwest and West Virginia. She graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York City for twenty years. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, a triumphant account of overcoming a difficult childhood with her dysfunctional but vibrant family, has been a New York Times bestseller for over three years. A publishing sensation around the world, The Glass Castle has sold more than 2.5 million copies in the U.S. and has been translated into twenty-two languages. Walls is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Christopher Award for helping to "affirm the highest values of the human spirit,” as well as the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and the Books for Better Living Award. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, writer John Taylor.

Genre:
Teen Issues: Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Problems, Outsiders, Homelessness and Foster Living, Substance Abuse
Contemporary Life: Coming of Age
Historic Novels: Twentieth Century (1960-1980)
YA nonfiction: Autobiography

Curriculum Ties: English class, Social Studies class, Book clubs

Booktalking Ideas:
1.) Painful and happy memories
2.) The metaphor of the glass castle
3.) The children’s view of their parents
4.) The nonjudgmental approach of this story
5.) Jeanette Walls’ life then and now

Reading Level/Interest Age: Ages 16 - adult

Challenge Issues/Defenses:

Potential Challenges:
• Age Appropriateness
• Depictions of sexual behavior
• Adult Language
• Depictions of Violence
• Content includes references to drinking and smoking

Defense Strategy:
• Provide our Collection Development Policy (which includes Young Adult scope): http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/library/collection.asp

• Refer to awards won by this book from reputable organizations:
http://wordsworthyreadingpaths.pbworks.com/The+Glass+Castle

• Provide books reviews by professional book critics:
http://wordsworthyreadingpaths.pbworks.com/The+Glass+Castle

• Provide book reviews by actual readers on a publicly accessible website:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&endeca=1&isbn=0743247531&itm=2

• Provide discussion questions book clubs have used to address issues or book content:
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/glass_castle1.asp

• Provide advisory reviews for parents about this book’s content and age appropriateness:
http://theliteratemother.org/?p=72

Why This Book Was Included: This was one of the best books I read in 2008. It’s a crossover item on my blog list, but very relevant to mature teens. It’s interesting how some people interpret this autobiography as portrait of dynamic and exciting parents while others see it as a cautionary tale about the damage done by dysfunctional families. I guess everyone gets something different but useful from this book.