The Glass Castle

Reviewed by Tyger, grade 12 -- Feb. 2017

This book is absolutely incredible. I cried during, and I cried after. I find true, authentically written work can stir up my emotions easily and trigger endless empathy for characters with whom I resonate strongly.

Hardly a ‘’poor pitiful me’’ memoir, this book is about resilience and strength through struggle. This is the perfect read for anyone looking to have his or her heart broken and fixed at the same time. It illustrates how alcoholism, mental illness, and poverty can greatly affect and change a family. With such a realistic tone of voice, I can’t help but have empathy for the unique people who I soon won’t forget. The memories are vivid; as if they were actually written by a child.

On Good Reads.com, I read many reviews but this one caught my eye. I think that it accurately sums up how I feel.

‘’Walls is able to somehow burrow deep and extract love from the cesspool of horrible parenting. The fact that she (along with her siblings) were able to convey that love, and rise above to become relatively successful adults is somewhat of a miracle. Really glad I gave this one a chance.’’  (http://www.goodreads.com/snotchocheez)   

What a truly life-changing book that influenced how I see the dynamic of a dysfunctional family.