The Glass Castle
What do you say?
1. Discuss the metaphor of a glass castle and what it signifies to Jeannette and her father. Why is it important that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her father that she doesn’t believe he’ll ever build it?
2. What character traits — both good and bad — do you think that Jeannette inherited from her parents? And how do you think those traits shaped Jeannette’s life?
3. For many reviewers and readers, the most extraordinary thing about The Glass Castle is that, despite everything, Jeannette Walls refuses to condemn her parents. Were you able to be equally nonjudgmental?
If you liked this book, try these titles:
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer, 1995
Ellen Foster by Kim Edwards, 2005
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, 2005
