People are apt to generalize why people live the way they do, especially when it is below the acceptable level deemed civilized. Jeannette Walls, in an autobiographical account, draws a picture of the way she grew up with her siblings in constantly changing locations that ranged from living in cars to a shack considered low life and dilapidated, even in the hills of W. Virginia. The children had little to no food much of the time learning to fend for themselves. Their parents were hooked on adventure and put them on "the skedaddle" when they couldn't/wouldn't pay their bills, were wanted by the police or possibly child welfare. The parents possessed intelligent minds attempting to raise their children with values. Unfortunately, their views of the world may have started well but then became skewed. Mom would relinquish the well being of the children for the needs of the alcoholic father. Was the mother mentally ill? Would the children have been better off in the foster care system? Or is this a look as to why the court system attempts to keep families together? Even when it is hard to understand why!
Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them — despite their overwhelming self-absorption — resonates from cover to cover.
My Review
I found this clip online, and I think it does a far better job explaining the book and the truth behind it.
I liked the book, but it was personally a hard book for me to read. Not with the way it was written, but the subject being written about. I did love her way of recounting her past, never in a sorrowful or a sympathy-driven explanation, but as very matter of fact and how she grew from it. If you are needing a change from a light-hearted or funny surface-level book, this is your next pick up.
Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them — despite their overwhelming self-absorption — resonates from cover to cover.
My Review
I found this clip online, and I think it does a far better job explaining the book and the truth behind it.
I liked the book, but it was personally a hard book for me to read. Not with the way it was written, but the subject being written about. I did love her way of recounting her past, never in a sorrowful or a sympathy-driven explanation, but as very matter of fact and how she grew from it. If you are needing a change from a light-hearted or funny surface-level book, this is your next pick up.
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