lkt's review
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
by Jeannette Walls
exactly - i was SO angry throughout the reading of this book it made it difficult for me to enjoy it.
While I had the exact same reaction, I think I was most angry with the social worker who shows up at the house once -- but never returns. THAT, I felt, was the best example of what is wrong with the systems we believe are in place in this country to protect children. While Jeannette's mother is incomprehensible, I think the answer is that she's clearly mentally ill -- and as evidence by the number of times the children had to pull her out of bed to go to work -- very depressed. While these conditions may not provide an excuse for doing what she did to her children, I think it is an explanation for her behavior - and the behavior of so many parents out there who, unfortunately, are not receiving the help they and their children so desperately need.
lkt's review
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
lkt's review
rating:
From my Amazon.com review:
"Sometimes people get the lives they want..."
A stunning memoir, hard to put down. Walls is superb with details, a true genius. She is a fine example of a self-made, successful person. But throughout most of the book, I was so angry with the parents, her mother in particular:
When the kids had nothing to eat, she hid a king-sized Hershey bar in her bed for herself. She had an excuse for her behavior, whining that she's a "sugar addict." (And later, she refuses to get a job (or keep one, when she gets them) because she's an "excitement addict." Really, it seems like she's rather immature and lazy. How exciting is it to sleep all day or have tantrums about blaming her children for her failures as an artist?)
When Brian and Jeannette found the diamond ring, they could have used it to buy necessities like food and clothes, but their mother needed it for her precious self-esteem. She really lacks motivat...more
"Sometimes people get the lives they want..."
A stunning memoir, hard to put down. Walls is superb with details, a true genius. She is a fine example of a self-made, successful person. But throughout most of the book, I was so angry with the parents, her mother in particular:
When the kids had nothing to eat, she hid a king-sized Hershey bar in her bed for herself. She had an excuse for her behavior, whining that she's a "sugar addict." (And later, she refuses to get a job (or keep one, when she gets them) because she's an "excitement addict." Really, it seems like she's rather immature and lazy. How exciting is it to sleep all day or have tantrums about blaming her children for her failures as an artist?)
When Brian and Jeannette found the diamond ring, they could have used it to buy necessities like food and clothes, but their mother needed it for her precious self-esteem. She really lacks motivat...more
exactly - i was SO angry throughout the reading of this book it made it difficult for me to enjoy it.
While I had the exact same reaction, I think I was most angry with the social worker who shows up at the house once -- but never returns. THAT, I felt, was the best example of what is wrong with the systems we believe are in place in this country to protect children. While Jeannette's mother is incomprehensible, I think the answer is that she's clearly mentally ill -- and as evidence by the number of times the children had to pull her out of bed to go to work -- very depressed. While these conditions may not provide an excuse for doing what she did to her children, I think it is an explanation for her behavior - and the behavior of so many parents out there who, unfortunately, are not receiving the help they and their children so desperately need.