This memoir by Jeannette Walls certainly isn't new. The copyright date is 2005. It is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for a long time. I started it last night about 7:30 and read until after midnight. I couldn't put it down.
Jeannette had a childhood unlike mine. She and her family traveled across the United States --- from the deserts of Arizona and Nevada to the mountains of West Virginia. When her dad, Rex, was sober he was a fascinating man -- a great father and teacher. But more often than not, he was drunk and out of work. Mom, Rose Mary, was an eccentric artist. She homeschooled the 4 kids.....but was really most interested in her art.
From the beginning of the book when Jeannette recounts an event when she was 3 years old, I was hooked. She was boiling hotdogs on the stove of their camper/home and she was terribly burned. The dysfunction of the family escalates....no food, terrible living conditions.....yet the kids persevered. You have to read the book!!
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