Gabby+survival




 * // The Glass Castle, // by Jeannette Walls, is a memoir about Jeannette and her brother and sisters growing up in a dysfunctional family with some extremely eccentric parents. With an alcoholic dad, who when sober, is brilliant and lovable and could make even the toughest situations seem like an adventure and "excitement addict" mother who hates responsibility, the Walls children are left to provide and look out for themselves. The story follows her from town to town, the family living in constant poverity. The kids immense will to better themselevs and make something more of their lives then what they were given takes them all the way to New York. This story is about kids who grow up in unimaginable conditions and go through a lot to survive and keep each other safe. **


 * // Survival Lesson Learned: // I loved this story so much. It was about kids who grew up in conditions that I can't even imagine yet still some how came out alright and grew up to be successful. It was kind of hard for me to decide if I liked the parents in the story or not. While they obviously were not very responsible and didn't necessarily care for the kids in the way that they should have, it was clear to see that they loved their children. Especially the dad who unfortunately was an alcoholic. He was a genius who taught his kids everything from swimming to astrology to how to shoot a gun and although his drunken rages caused almost everyone to lose faith in him, Jeannette never stopped believing in him. This book taught me that we are not defined by the environment we grow up in but rather that we have the ability to change a situation and come out stronger because of it. **

**reviewed dlj 11/15 50 points**

**Alex G's Comments: I'm in the process of reading this book and I absolutely LOVE it. It's incredible to me how Jeannette's parents decided how to raise their children and the how different their lifestyle it is from mine. I completely agree with what you said about seeing the brightside and having the ability to change the situation. Its an important rule of survival and something many people can learn from.**

This book sounds so good! Iv never really read a memoir and reading your response on this book makes me want to read this also!Jennifer


 * You've totally made me want to read this book! I really liked your last line of your "survival lesson learned" paragraph. I really agree-- we are not confined to the environment we've grown up in, and we have the power to overcome, survive, and be better than what we are exposed to. --Johanna 11/18 **