The Glass Castle
By: Jeanette Walls
The Glass Castle is a book that makes you feel fortunate about your life. It is a story about one family’s struggles to support themselves due to the fathers lack of motivation. He was a man who could fix almost anything and had the potential to make himself successful if he could stop running from things. He made his family move constantly because he couldn’t hold a job. Problems only got worse when he become an alcoholic after the death of his 9 month old daughter.
Education isn’t something we think of as a luxury. Actually I think its fair to say we have all called school “hell” at one point in our lives. But for this family, they longed for it. The children wished they could go to school and get an education. Their parents tried to provide educational experiences, like having their 6 year old daughter proof read a book the mother had written. But its not still not the same. This all could have been possible if the dad had been move motivated to turn his talents into a career to support his family.
Speaker: The speaker is Jeanette Walls, the author of the book. In the book she was strong and brave, to show her siblings it would be okay. She never argued when they had to move and she always did what her father told her to. During the moving around, she became more of a mother figure to her newborn little sister. No matter the circumstances she never cried. She stayed strong for the sake of her family.
Occasion: The setting changes throughout the book because of all the moving the family does throughout the book. They go from living in a tent in the desert to living in big towns and even living with family members. The time period is during the early years of Jeanette Walls and her siblings life.
Audience: This book is for young adults to adults. Adults can relate to the hardship of trying to support a family, hold a good job, and give your children a good life full of opportunities. While reading this book, teenagers can imagine what their life would be like if they didn’t have all the luxuries. For example, an education, cars, clothes, cell phones, and so much more. It really makes you look at your life and realize how fortunate you are.
Purpose: The purpose is to tell people her story and to prove you don’t always need money growing up to become successful. She grew up with little to no school education but wrote a book that was on the best sellers life for over two years, and is now being made into a motion picture. She wanted to prove that you don’t need an ivy league school to become successful.
Style: The book begins with a story about her finding her mom in a dumpster. It leaves you wanting to read more. She tells stories casually. She is not very dramatic about her writing but more just telling the story how it is and accepting that that is what happened. The author interesting syntax. She would have some very long sentences and then very short ones. It kept the book interesting to read. She uses very descriptive diction to create an image in your head of some of the hardships she went through while growing up.
Tone: Throughout the book she uses a very calm casual tone. She is very descriptive but doesn’t over do it. She tells the stories how they are.
I liked the book because it opens your eyes to a world that when living in Park City you don’t really think about all the time. It shows you the struggles that some families face every single day. After reading The Glass Castle I realized how grateful I should be for the life I live, and with the education I am getting. I never even thought about never having an education. Or having the opportunity to experience the things my parents have had the ability to let me do. The Glass Castle is an eye-opening book that everyone should make time to read. It really changes how you take certain things for granted.
I would give this 5/5 castles. It is a well written and eye-opening book.
