The Glass Castle: A Memoir
This is the true story of Jeannette Walls. She was raised in extreme poverty, with an alcoholic father and a mother who didn't want the responsibility of raising her own children. During their childhood they moved a lot, often to escape debt. But aside from that, she was incredibly stimulated by her father and talks very lovingly about her family.
One part that really stood out to me was when they didn't have any money for Christmas presents, so her father told her he had named a star after her. As an adult I could see he did this because he had no way of buying Christmas presents, but as a child, Jeannette thought she had a present that no other child would ever have, and was therefore special. The whole book is filled with this sort of thing, so although the family was incredibly dysfunctional, you get the feeling that the children didn't feel they were underprivileged.
As time goes on, things get worse and the children bond together to help each other leave home and support themselves.
This book will stay in my heart for a long time. At parts I was horrified at what happened, but it is told with such skill that I have a warmth for the family and the author in particular.
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