The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

 The Glass Castle is a memoir that could do a lot of things but instead chooses just one and does it well. The author details her family of origin and the many places they lived, adventures they had, and challenges they faced while she was growing up. She does not sugar coat the illnesses, addictions, poor choices, and bad luck that shaped her young life. But she writes about her family with such tenderness and love that I sometimes had to remind myself that what she is describing is also child abuse, neglect, malnutrition, severe and persistent mental illness, etc. 

This book is about resilience, forgiveness, and family. It reminds me that everyone deserves to have happy memories of their family.  Even in the face of a lot that may seem best forgotten, Walls was loved and chooses to remember and document that gift above all else. 

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