The Glass Castle

Although the many of the hardships her parents have put her through are unimaginable, Jeannette Walls was able to always speak about them with compassion. In The Glass Castle the author tells a story of the highs and lows of her life and the love that she has for her family. This makes The Glass Castle an excellent memoir. I believe The Glass Castle is an excellent book because it is well constructed, gives an honest sense of the many characters she encountered during her life, and takes the reader on a journey through her her life and describes it in a way that seems optimistic throughout the book.

Jeannette Walls opens her book with herself as a younger child describing an instance when she had caught herself on fire due to the carelessness of her parents as she remarks,“I was on fire. It’s my earliest memory… I felt a blaze of heat on my right side. I turned in fear to see where it was coming from and realize that my dress was on fire.”(pg 9). Although this problem could have easily been prevented if her parents had been more careful, Walls speaks about this instance as though it was just another normal day. This is one of the elements that makes a good memoir and was used well in this book.

Another thing that made The Glass Castle an excellent book is the construction in which the author has put the story together. She begins the book talking about her younger life and giving every important detail necessary before moving on without making the book feel slow.

Wall’s mother was an artist who seemingly was more obsessed with painting than her kids in many parts of the story. Although this obsession lead her to be rude to her children the author talked of it as if it was a strength and it shows her compassion and love for the natural world for people. This shows the author's ability to make light of even the darkest situations and also shows that she is not out to get revenge by exposing her family but instead is simply relaying her experience to the reader. Although the authors experiences throughout the book have been graphic, she was honest instead of seeking for attention which makes for an excellent memoir.