Hooray, I've actually read a book, from beginning to end! I have missed it..

Anyway, we have an informal book group at work and last month, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls was chosen. I didn't quite have it finished in time for the group's discussion but, I am very thankful to Allison for bringing in her copy so I could read it. The book was phenomenal.

The Glass Castle is a memoir of Ms. Walls' life, focusing primarily on her painful and sometimes traumatic childhood. As one of four children, she describes how she and her siblings survived despite being 'raised' by parents that were less than attentive. The book opens with the story of how 3-year-old Jeannette set herself on fire when she was cooking hotdogs for herself and her younger brother and continues with other tales of neglect, hunger and poverty. However, despite the depressing nature of the stories, Walls did a great job of showing the strength of her family and her parents' brilliance. Her dad, a raging alcoholic, taught the kids physics and to question the Establishment. He stole money from his kids but I still cried when he passed away late in the book. Her mom, a flighty artist who collected every kind of junk for inspiration, saw beauty in everything and was overly optimistic between her bouts with depression.

I found the book to be extremely uplifting and inspiring because three of the four children, including Walls, were successful in overcoming thier childhoods to become successful adults. And, through it all, they maintained thier strange relationship with their parents, who followed their children to New York and eventually became homeless.

I loved this book. It was a quick read with some substance. Highly recommended.