Jeannette Walls and her Glass Castle

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a dinner where author, Jeannette Walls, was the guest speaker. She was sponsored by the local Rotary Club. [This is the same Rotary Club that does not allow women to join. However, women are allowed to do the work for a dinner such as last night. But let's not go there...] 

The entire town and a local high school were encouraged to read the book. Jeannette spoke about her book, The Glass Castle. This is a short bio from her publishers’page:

Jeannette Walls was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up in the southwest and Welch, West Virginia. She graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York City for twenty years. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, a triumphant account of overcoming a difficult childhood with her dysfunctional but vibrant family, has been a New York Times bestseller for over three years. A publishing sensation around the world, The Glass Castle has sold more than 2.5 million copies in the U.S. and has been translated into twenty-two languages. Walls is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Christopher Award for helping to "affirm the highest values of the human spirit," as well as the American Library Association's Alex Award, and the Books for Better Living Award. The Glass Castle was chosen as Elle magazine's book of the year. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.

Her talk was very animated, passionate, and sincere. I loved her gesticulation, which would have made the talk interesting even if I were deaf. She is quite tall, slim, and has really long fingers. Those long fingers were hypnotic as she painted a word portrait using her body's movement as the paint brush. The bone structure in her face is very unusual and altogether lovely. It is no wonder that she has so many speaking engagements.

I could relate much of what she said to my life growing up and the underlying shame. Her definition of growing up rich is that “you did not go hungry as a child”. By her definition, I grew up rich. I asked her if she or any of her 3 siblings had any children of their own. I was not surprised to hear that the 3 girls had elected to remain childless and only her brother had 2 children.

I spoke with her privately about how long it took to write this book. She told me that she had started writing her memoirs twice previously, when she was much younger. She had accumulated with 200 or 300 pages with each effort—each of which she summarily tossed. When she did finally write her first full draft of the current book, it took her only 6 weeks. However, it was 5 years in the refinement and editing process. That is something non-writers often do not realize. They think that the book they read is exactly what the author wrote.

The best part of Jeannette’s story is that she could find the things to rejoice in about her childhood while remaining honest and non-judgmental about her circumstances. She echoed precisely the 3 things that I have learned from my life:

1.     No one is all good or all bad. Given the right circumstances we are all capable of doing most anything. 

2.     Without a dream of a better life, you get the crap you are dealt with and become a victim.

3.     Education is the ticket to a different life than that of your parents.

I would have to add a 4^thpoint:  Without Jesus Christ, I would still be condemned to my past, despondent in the present, and negative about the future. 

This is the Descriptionof her book (from her Simon & Schuster page):

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both her curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever. 

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family – Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home. 

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. 

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular
contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married
to the writer John Taylor.

I highly recommend this book.