Thank you for joining readers from CLAV-Harrison to read and discuss The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Please add your comments at the end of this post. You may consider the discussion questions listed below or contribute your own comments or criticisms regarding the book.
The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family.
The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
The Glass Castle is truly astonishing — a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar, but loyal, family. Jeannette Walls has a story to tell, and tells it brilliantly, without an ounce of self-pity.
New York Times Review of “The Glass Castle”
Jeannette Walls Answers Your Questions (ABC News)
Discussion Questions:
1. Though The Glass Castle is brimming with unforgettable stories, which scenes were the most memorable for you? Which were the most shocking, the most inspiring, the funniest?
2. Discuss the metaphor of a glass castle and what it signifies to Jeannette and her father. Why is it important that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her father that she doesn’t believe he’ll ever build it? (p. 238).
3. The first story Walls tells of her childhood is that of her burning herself severely at age three, and her father dramatically takes her from the hospital: “You’re safe now” (p. 14). Why do you think she opens with that story, and how does it set the stage for the rest of the memoir?
4. Rex Walls often asked his children, “Have I ever let you down?” Why was this question (and the required “No, Dad” response) so important for him — and for his kids? On what occasions did he actually come through for them?
5. Jeannette’s mother insists that, no matter what, “life with your father was never boring” (p. 288). What kind of man was Rex Walls? What were his strengths and weaknesses, his flaws and contradictions?
6. Discuss Rose Mary Walls. What did you think about her description of herself as an “excitement addict”? (p. 93).
7. Though it portrays an incredibly hardscrabble life, The Glass Castle is never sad or depressing. Discuss the tone of the book, and how do you think that Walls achieved that effect?
8 Describe Jeannette’s relationship to her siblings and discuss the role they played in one another’s lives.
9. In college, Jeannette is singled out by a professor for not understanding the plight of homeless people; instead of defending herself, she keeps quiet. Why do you think she does this?
10. The two major pieces of the memoir — one half set in the desert and one half in West Virginia — feel distinct. What effect did such a big move have on the family — and on your reading of the story? How would you describe the shift in the book’s tone?
11. Were you surprised to learn that, as adults, Jeannette and her siblings remained close to their parents? Why do you think this is?
12. What character traits — both good and bad — do you think that Jeannette inherited from her parents? And how do you think those traits shaped Jeannette’s life?
13. For many reviewers and readers, the most extraordinary thing about The Glass Castle is that, despite everything, Jeannette Walls refuses to condemn her parents. Were you able to be equally nonjudgmental?
14. Like Mary Karr’s Liars’ Club and Rick Bragg’s All Over But the Shoutin’, Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle tells the story of a wildly original (and wildly dysfunctional) family with humor and compassion. Were their other comparable memoirs that came to mind? What distinguishes this book?
Laid Back Book Club 
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After reading this memoir, I was surprised that Jeanette and her siblings remained close to their parents. Although Jeanette supports her parents until the end, I was less forgiving of Rose Mary and Rex. Their actions just seemed so selfish and often, it felt like the children were more responsible and mature.
Toward the end of the book, I was struck by a comment made by Rose Mary to Jeannette, about Rex: “Your father is who he is. It’s a little late in the game to try to reform him now.” It seems to describe Jeanette’s attitude toward both of her parents. She essentially accepts them for who they are, despite their faults. It was amazing to me that Jeanette never came across as bitter when describing her unusual childhood, which goes to show how complicated familial relationships can be. What did you all think of their family dynamic?
clavlaidbackbookclub
On our first blog post, a commenter mentioned that this memoir may be adapted into a film. Here’s a link for anyone who’s interested: http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/jennifer-lawrence-in-talks-to-star-after-lionsgate-buys-rights-to-jeannette-walls-memoir/.
It looks like Jennifer Lawrence (from ‘The Hunger Games’) is possibly starring in the film version. What do you all think of that casting choice?