The Glass Castle

Recently, I finished the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This memoir chronicles Jeanette's life and is split into 4 parts--A Woman on the Street, The Desert, Welch, and New York City. Throughout the book, a recurring theme is the dysfunctionalness of her family, especially her parents. After all, they are people who think the police are out to get them, who think that the way to fix eyesight is not to get glasses, but to exercise the eyes, and think that they can somehow invent the best gold detector ever, so it's hard not to notice. however, the more important part is how their family fits together. One minute, they're all best friends, and then hardships hit, and they family breaks down, so that worse things happen to them. For example, one of the best parts in the book is when Jeannette's father, who can't afford real presents for Christmas, gives her and her siblings each a star, a present that will last forever. and even though both her parents do horrible things throughout the book, they do some good things too, and they all still love each other. This book is a testimony to love surpassing everything. I give it a 9