The Glass Castle

I recently finished reading this book. If you haven't read it, I would recommend it. It's an amazing story about how a woman overcomes tremendous adversity in her upbringing and in the end embraces her hair-brained, zany family. Below are some comments I wrote to my sister, who also recently finished reading the book.


She learned to love and appreciate her dad for who he was, despite all the horrible things he did. Sitting here thinking about how she could come to terms with her father is somewhat mind boggling. There were so many negative things that happened to her, starvation, poverty, molestation, emotional abuse... yet she loved the people responsible for those conditions. Is she mentally unstable or extremely resilient and compassionate?

Its so interesting how people get stuck in their behaviors and how they can't change them. Its so sad.

Another thing, I think this goes to show you can't really escape who you are. As much as you may want to escape your past and all the negative things about it, can you really do it? Even after she led a stable life, family and successful career she was still drawn back to her family. But how could she not be? Doesn't your family mold the very person you become? I think there is a lot to be said about learning to embrace the past and draw upon the positive.

Perhaps her mother's axiom that there is good in all, is true. After all even Hitler loved dogs and that was his "redeeming quality."

How about the underlying message about the power of education? Her parents may have been absolutely crazy, but they taught her well. Reading books, astronomy, math, science and art are what enabled Jeannette to leave the lifestyle she was raised in. This also goes to show that education does not imply sanity and stability. So, that being said what does? What helps us live stable lives?

Interesting book. Way to go Jeanette for becoming a trans-generational figure in her family.