No Excuses The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a non-fiction autobiography about a woman recounting her less than normal childhood. Jeannette talks about her erratic, harebrained mother, her alcoholic, irrational but brilliant father, and her three siblings. She talks about her father’s plans to build a solar-powered house made entirely out of glass (hence the title of the book), and his promise to her that their family will be rich one day. The story takes place throughout her childhood, starting at her earliest memory. Jeannette talks about all the times her family had to move, all the new schools she had to go to, and all the jobs her dad got and lost over her entire life. Her parents are nomads that travel throughout small, country …show more content…
The story touches on things such as poverty, alcoholism, bullying, abuse, etc. It is an extremely eye-opening, humbling book that shows you that you can change your life around no matter how you were raised. This book is relatable to many people, including children and teenagers who are or may have gone through some of the same things that Jeannette and her siblings did. The theme that most resonated with me while reading the book was alcoholism. It is something that has been a part of my family life for a long time. For about 10 years of my life, my family and I have struggled with the fact that my dad is an alcoholic. For about 6 of those 10 years, I didn’t really understand how much of a problem it was. Growing up, my dad had always been my hero. We were super close. He would play softball with me, take me fishing, and teach me crazy things about space. It was really when I was about to go into my freshman year when I finally stepped back and thought, “Dad and I aren’t nearly as close as we used to be. I don’t think it’s normal that he drinks this much.” In our day-to-day lives, we had a cycle. We all did the same things