After hearing my sister rave about the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, I was ecstatic to hear it was on the reading list. I was not disappointed, for not only was it a good book, it was surprising, touching, and enlightening. Walls sincerity through her writing made you feel as if you too were a member of the Walls family, making you laugh and suffer with them at every story. I loved her way of being able to express what she thought at the time of whatever story she was telling, rather than giving a later biased point of view. She went as far as to use language and write with the level of understanding she would have had at the different times of her life, making the realization of her father’s drinking problems and cruelty all the more real to the reader, making them experience close to the same feelings she had. Her telling of her experience sent out the message that no matter what your situation may be, with hard work, you really can get anywhere. Students today will frequently worry when their GPA drops or when paying for college becomes a larger obstacle. By reading her story however, it made me realize that you do not need a 4.0 GPA or a high number of extra- curriculars to reach your dreams. Jeannette Walls was able to do through her high level of determination and strength, and I feel like her story will help inspire many to push harder for what they want and that nothing is impossible.
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I also thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. I liked that you pointed out her unbiased point of view because I found that to be one of my favorite parts about The Glass Castle. Jeannette's lack of commentary regarding the way she felt during different events made it possible to almost experience what she was going through and form one's own opinions about everything that was happening. Also, I thought that what you said about the level of writing was very interesting. I did not notice the increasing level of intelligence that she wrote with while I was reading the memoir, but now that you mention it, I can recall her style and how it changed throughout. Finally, I thought that you took from the story what Jeannette was hoping her readers would. It is true; Jeannette is living proof that school is not the only thing that will lead to the fulfillment of one's dreams. The Walls children were forced to grow up extremely fast and learned that, like you said, strength and determination will get you exactly where you want to go in life.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this book was truly inspiring. Just all four chldren's determination to live a better life than the one given to them was truly amazing. Like Siena, I did not notice the way her style of writing changed as she aged, but now that you have pointed that out, I realize how significant that was to the essence of her story. Finally, I agree completely with the fact that the some children are forced to grow up too rapidly and the fact that grades influence our lives too much, however I think that the added help of good grades helps in the long run.
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