The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle

I just finished reading the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. It is a book of true courage and determination. How can s family so dysfunctional be so close.

Throughout this book I kept wondering how can a child grow up like this and still become some who graduates from college and does so well in her life. So many other people grew up the same way, and what you hear from many is how bad their life was and they still cannot seem to get out of the situation. They blame their parents, grandparents and anyone else they feel has it better.

In The Glass Castle, you find a daughter who makes the best out of her situation, and she learns how to face life and except all that comes her way. Her father and mother were loving, but they often seemed most often to do what they considered best for them. Although the parents did say many times that the lessons they learned while doing without would make them stronger, it sometimes appeared that they just simple neglected the children.

The father taught them to love the outdoors and to appreciate the outdoors as well. He gave them a sense of adventure whenever they moved to another place. He even taught them the value of appreciation in his on strange way.

The mother was closed off most of the time, and appeared weak. This was especially seem when the father would come home drunk; she would hide from him and have the children deal with him. She had lots of mood swings, which caused her to act more like a child than a parent. However it was during these times the children learned to fend for themselves and they learned to not always depend on others for their survival.

It was the children who most people suffered the most. However, I saw individuals who grew up strong and able to face life. The children found their place in the world by helping each other and looking out for each other. Strong family ties developed between them and because of this they each grew up strong and independent thinkers.

So whenever you want to blame everyone else for what is happening in your life, stop and think about the positive things in your life and appreciate what you have and where you came from.

You can find The Glass Castle here. http://tinyurl.com/4pgab9p