The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Of all the book choices I put up for vote the month I got to be guest book-chooser in my book club, this was probably the most book clubby. Usually I don't think of that as a good thing (though I'm not really sure what I have against a book being book clubby), but this was a book I'd really wanted to read for awhile. Book clubby isn't my thing. Memoirs aren't my thing. Books about precocious children growing up in difficult circumstances aren't my thing. But I'd heard nothing but good about this book.

If you've heard of this book, you've probably heard the back story. Jeannette Walls and her three siblings (two sisters, one brother) were raised by their unconventional (to the point of being dysfunctional) parents, parents who ultimately ended up homeless in New York City by choice. The children spent childhood wandering with their parents from place to place, living in their car, in run-down houses that probably could have been condemned, or wherever they could find a place. Their father assured them that this was all temporary, that he was working on grand ideas and that, when they came through, he would build them a glass castle to live in. He had even drawn up architectural plans. But their father was also an alcoholic, and their mother considered herself an artist and sacrificed money and good parenting to pursue her painting, and the children were mostly left to fend for themselves (and often their parents).

The Glass Castle is, at times, a painful book to read. A lot of the members of my book group expressed anger with the parents for their selfishness and its effect on their four children. And yet they also managed to raise intelligent, resourceful children, three of whom managed to lift themselves into successful, happy adult lives. The book leaves you thinking about nature and nurture and the effects of circumstances on people and the effects of parents' choices on children. It is sometimes appalling, sometimes difficult, but also sometimes lovely, loving, and straightforward. I was drawn into the story and felt invested in the lives of all six members of the family.

After hearing so many good things about this book, I'll add my own voice and recommendation. If you've read the book (or even if you haven't) and haven't seen this, I'm also including a video blip that shows Jeannette Walls, her mother, and some of her mother's art: