Wow! What a memoir!  The Glass Castle was a remarkable story about how Jeannette lived in extreme poverty  as a child with her 3 siblings and how they managed to survive.

Children with a  father who had big dreams and a big drinking problem.  He didn’t believe in holding down a full time job. He was always teaching them about physics, geology and how to embrace life without fear.

A mother who didn’t believe in rules and was a free spirit who hated the responsibility that had to do with being a wife and a mother. She wanted to be a famous artist and was always painting and drawing.

The story tells of the children who learned how to take care of themselves. How to get food, clothes for themselves and to protect themselves from others. The family use to flee from town to town to avoid creditors.  The children learned how to “take” food from other children at school to avoid starvation.  Jeannette made herself a set of braces for her teeth and the stories are endless of their struggle to survive.

The children plan to get out as soon as they are able and when the oldest sister takes off to New York  it isn’t long before the others follow.

Jeannette attends college and the success all the children is wonderful. The parents moved to New York also but chose to be homeless.

The Glass Castle is truly a great memoir and told with great detail.  I enjoyed it through and through and recommend it to everyone who loves a good story.