Jeannette Walls is a really strong woman (as are her siblings) to have survived her childhood. Though never physically abusive, her parents as revealed in her memoir, were totally feckless people who should not have been allowed to have children. Though her father was a highly intelligent man, he was always blaming someone else for his continuing failures, was a foul mouthed alcoholic who never understood himself nor his children. Her mother lived in a fantasy world with delusions of talent and was, with her husband, convinced of the conspiracy of government and all authority, who admired her own so-called values. And yet Jeannette, her sister and brother managed to break free of their family, leave West Virginia, and make good lives for themselves. They also tried to help their parents, to no avail.
Walls writes cleanly and forcefully, without self-pity, about a horrendous childhood, essentially raising herself, to become a talented, focused writer. I found the book compelling reading and was left in awe by the persistence of Jeannette, Lori and Brian. I would recommend it highly for anyone over the age of 12.