The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, 2005 * * * *

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, Rex and Rose Mary Walls, and their four children, 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 that Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank,  he stole the grocery money and he disappeared for days at a time. 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 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. The story is one of triumph against the odds, and also a 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.  I could not put the book down but often felt like a voyeur to a completely disfunctional family.