February 6, 2006
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A Glass Castle
Over the weekend I was working with a group of pastors and lay leaders in Fresno, California. It was a quick trip but traveling is tiring no matter how long or short the trip may be. Often times when I am traveling I bring books to read - for work or school. Often times these books can tend to be a bit on the dry side and I love to find books on the road and read them while I am traveling. I just came across a book that I think is one of the best I have ever read.
"A Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. This book is in a similar vein to that of Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, another great book. This book was especially impactful to me as I am the child of an alcoholic who died of alcoholism. Walls' father, Rex Walls, is an alcoholic and one of the tragic figures in the book. This book details the life of Jeanette Walls growing up with her Dad the alcoholic and a manic depressive mother. The family moved around constantly as she was growing up ending up in West Virginia living in total poverty without running water or indoor plumbing in the 1970's. The father, Rex, was a smart man, but could not keep a job or, for the most part, help his family. The mother was equally inept and kept the cycle of addiction alive being an enabler for the father.
The book and story itself is tragic, happy, rewarding, and many other emotions all wrapped up into one. The thing I most respect about the author is how she never blamed her parents for how they were, and helped get herself out of poverty by going to college and becoming a writer. It is a great story of personal triumph in the face of such dire tragedy all around. Many times during my own life I have been angry about the family I grew up in, the antics that my Dad engaged in, etc - but this book challenged me to let any remaining anger at my Dad go... in the year since my Dad died of alcoholism I have personally let most, if not all, of it go. This book might be the final letting go piece for me, and for that I thank the author for her amazing story. It is a great read and you will not walk away unmoved. JVD
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Joe,
Thanks for the party at your house. Good ot hang out as well.
Maas
So...it has a happy ending? It sounds very painful to read. I'm game!
Happy ending - yes, but complicated.
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