Are you in the Thanksgiving spirit yet? I sure am. Actually, I have been since the beginning of October. You know… when everything at every corner of Publix became pumpkin flavored, and the miserable summer heat stopped lingering? We may not have burgundy and orange leaves falling from trees like other states, but I would argue that Floridians enjoy the season of fall just as well. Judging from the amount of pumpkin spice lattes I’ve bought in the last month, I’d say fall is going just swimmingly.
As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I long to spend time with family and friends at home whom I haven’t spent time with since summer. It will be a nice few days to relax, catch up with friends, and enjoy the little things. I went back and forth a lot about the book choice for this month, but I couldn’t be more excited about the book I decided on!
“The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls is a memoir that will make all of us reconsider what we’re thankful for during this important season. The book is like a slice of humble pie, if you will. I’m not here to be your grandma or to tell you to count your blessings, but I think you’ll reconsider how upset you might have gotten over an exam grade that wasn’t that bad or even the insignificant things that your roommate does that annoy you sometimes after you read Jeanette’s story.
Between your second serving of turkey and mashed potatoes, open up “The Glass Castle” and slowly sip your pumpkin spice latte. Take the time to enjoy this one — you won’t regret it!
From the back of the book:
“Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their 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.”