West Virginia-grown roots and wings: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and Half Broke Horses, also by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle was a title I'd seen time and time again on reading lists and book reviews and heard about several times in conversations about West Virginia authors and all-around good reads. I finally picked it up recently and once I did, I couldn't put it down (okay, truth be told, I did put it down momentarily, but only because I was sooo into the John Edwards book. . .once I finished that and I then picked up Walls's book again, THEN I couldn't put it down. I flew through it in the next few nights). In her memoir, Walls takes us on the journey her parents took her and her three siblings on from Phoenix to Texas to West Virgina, where they eventually settled (as much as this family could "settle," as you'll understand once you read it) and where the Walls children spent the majority of their childhood. Walls not only paints the picture of her upbringing and lifestyle in impoverished Welch, West Virginia, so well, but also vividly takes us through the emotions she and her siblings went through as their father battled alcoholism and their mother led a lifestyle so flighty that at times, I felt like she was just two steps short of growing her own wings (and, I'm getting off on a tangent here, but wings = flashback to The Black Swan) and flying away from the family.

The anecdotes Walls shares with her readers induce a range of emotions, sometimes stirring multiple emotions at the same time! She recalls when she first learned to swim: her father basically took her out to the middle of a local pond and dropped her, arms flailing, until she was just moments short of drowning. He then grabbed her and threw her back in the middle. This process continued until Walls, in an effort to avoid her father's hurls, began moving her body about on her own until she realized that she was swimming. I remember feeling such angst for her, frustration and disbelief toward her father, but then triumph--and relief--when she found herself afloat in the middle of the muddy water. As they were leaving the pond, I continued to feel frustration toward her father as he smugly told her how proud of her he was for learning how to swim, but admiration toward Walls for holding her tongue and quietly holding in her own disbelief at how it all went down.

Aside from some of the crazy family antics, there are many, many touching moments in her story as well. We see how much the children loved and respected their parents, in spite of their shortcomings, but at the end, maintained their perseverance to break away from their unconventional and unhealthy lifestyle. (I won't provide any other details or examples for fear of spoiling!!)

This is an excellent story overall. I thought it was interesting that it seemed like she matched her writing to her changing age throughout the book. For instance, at the beginning, when she is still a child, much of the writing is spoken in short, simple sentences.

One quote I enjoyed reading in the story came when Walls met a man outside of West Virginia. After a brief exchange, he said (something along the lines of), "My, you West Virginian women are mighty strong."

And although that is true, we learn in Half Broke Horses that much of Walls's strength must have come from her grandmother.

Walls gives an account of her maternal grandmother's story in Half Broke Horses. Although we only meet her mother's mother very, very briefly in The Glass Castle, the glimpse we are given is enough to know that her grandmother must have lived a very rich life, full of zest and absent of regret. Walls writes this story in the first-person, in what she explains in her notes as how she would have imagined her grandmother to have told her story. There are parallels between Jeannette's life and her grandmother's. Both are strong and determined women who grew up with unstable parents, but value their past and appreciate how it contributes to their future.

Walls writes Half Broke Horses just as colorfully as she did her own memoir. Although it is a bit shorter, the adventures her grandmother enjoyed, the hard work she endured, and the emotions she portrays (at least, by Walls, according to her research through her mother's recollections) bring Walls's own memoir full circle. This read is just as uplifting and inspiring as her first.

(Faith, I can't wait until you read these so we can discuss in more detail!!)

The next grouping of books I'd like to read and review together are: The Tao Te Ching by Lao-tzu (and translated by Stephen Mitchell), The Dalai Lama's Book of Inner Peace, The Imitation of Christ, and The Analects of Confucius. So far, I have finished the first two, and am working on finishing up the second two.

Also next up: I have begun reading Knit Two, which is proving to be just as delightful as the first Knitting Club book.

Don't judge a book by its cover....

(But you can usually judge a book by its scathing Amazon reviews.)

First up, the good: "This is Not the Life I Ordered" by Jan Yanehiro and friends. I'm not just saying this because Jan Yanehiro is awesome but this book is a delight.  Self-help books are generally boring as a genre, as the reader isn't looking for an entertaining fictional foray. But this book is different, in a good way. It's a pretty general self-help book although it is definitely aimed toward the less-testosterone crowd. I bought this book when I first moved to San Francisco because the title spoke to me, although I was hesitant because the cover looked more silly than pretty (in my critical opinion) and, after making some life-changing decisions that I was beginning to question, I was looking for serious help. This book provides that, but with lighthearted humor. It uses personal stories, cute cartoons and tools like "WIT kit", and quotes from famous fearless women like Eleanor Roosevelt to give advice and inspiration. Besides the cover my only criticism for the book is a few of the suggestions are unrealistic for most readers. It advises to start a weekly kitchen table meeting with about a dozen of your fabulous female friends. Well, I didn't have a kitchen table in my tiny apartment, and after moving to a big city where I only knew a handful of people (which thankfully included my sister extraordinaire), I certainly didn't have a fabulous circle of close friends for advice. (Side note: really made me wish you were here, Aimee!) Which is why I was buying this book. But aside from that, the journal and Wit Kit suggestions were great as well as the quotes and cartoons, so I highly recommend this book!

Next, the bad: Citizen GIrl by Emma McLaughlin and NIcola Kraus. The cover was eye-catching. Simple, bright, red turquoise and white, a big coffee cup with a cutesy logo, and a catchy title: Citizen Girl. It's about a smart twentysomething girl who works in non-profit (LOVE!). Oh, and it's by the authors of the Nanny Diaries...I loved that book, and the movie too! This book is definitely several steps down from "The Nanny Diaries" in writing, plot, and characters. Shouldve known, never judge a book by its cover. 

After forcing myself to read this book to the end, I checked the reviews out of curiosity, and wondered if I was being too critical, or if anyone else read it and wept from the sheer torture. I found some comfort in knowing that I was not alone in absolutely abhorring this book. 

First of all, the girl is named Girl. Really? Not creative, but fitting in that she does not act like a woman but instead a whiny, overly analytical little girl. The writing attempts to be young and hip with witty dialogue, but just comes off as contrived. The boss she whines about incessantly, wait for it...is named Guy. Wow. And her boyfriend is named Buster and he's a dud but she loves him. I won't waste your time whining about how bad this is, if you want to read more whining please read this book.

New (well, for me) chicklit: The Friday Night Kniting Club by Kate Jacobs

The day after I finished reading this, I ordered all of Jacobs's other books off of Amazon. I'm still waiting for the third one to come in. . .Where is it? I need it! (Yes, even though I won't get to read it right away, just for the security that it's in my possession.) Wait, I guess I do kind of really need it. It's Knit Two, the sequel. And although I could always read Knit the Season (a Christmas feature she wrote on the gals of the Knitting Club. . .it doesn't matter that it isn't Christmas anymore) or Comfort Food (her non-Knitting Club read but one that I've heard is equally good, if not better), I need Knit Two.

Her writing is great, the stories of each of the women are entertaining, and although it's not the most thought-provoking read, its humor, honesty, and sense of friendship among the ladies are equally as important to gain after finishing a book. I chuckled out loud at times, smiled lots, and even cried a little bit at the end. And in between it all, I couldn't stop turning the pages.

I'd also like to add that I picked up my copy of Knitting Club from a new bookstore/coffee shop near Beckley, in its used book section. I had to have it, not only for a new book to read (its colorful cover was so enticing too!), but I wanted to support this new business. This place is adorable! And I'm so happy it's come to town.

I can't stop reading: Review of The Politican by Andrew Young

I recently finished reading The Politican by Andrew Young (former aid of John Edwards and was so for about a decade) and it blew my mind. I didn't know a whole lot about the John Edwards scandal to begin with, but even after learning of the bare bones of the situation, Andrew Young's stories and perspectives on the matter continued to shock me. He mostly focused on the Edwardses in this book, of course, but even his tidbits about the political life in general made me cringe.

A few highlights (or perhaps more appropriate for John Edwards's life, the lowlights):
--Edwards would drive a beat-up American-made car to the courthouse for trials, but sitting in his driveway at home were luxury cars such as Lexuses, Benzes, etc.
--During his '08 campaign, he was scheduled to speak before a group of union workers. Anticipating only hours before the scheduled appearance that they might ask him where his clothes were made (Was he really a working man's man?), he made Andrew Young take Edwards's Italian-made suit to a local tailor so that he could have the "Made in the USA" tag out of Young's own suit switched and sewn into Edwards's.
--He paid anywhere from $300-$400 per haircut. Although making this little fact public knowledge about any public official would be damaging to him or her, it was even worse for Edwards, as Young points out, because his whole platform was based on fighting poverty.

This is just a bland taste of the rest of John Edwards and his so-called life. His idiocy in thinking he could get away with all the things he did is simply appalling.

Then there's Elizabeth Edwards. Yikes. I'd love to have dissected her brain (oh wait, maybe I can. . .I know, I know. . .I'm sorry!) about everything. Here was this incredibly talented woman and she turned a blind eye and lived in the land of denial for God knows how long.

On the flip side, that all being said, I suppose I can rant and rave about their situation and especially about John Edwards and his jazz, but at the end of the day, I didn't live in their home. I didn't live in their very public life. I haven't endured the various hardships they did that spiraled into their own mini-hells within a large monster one. Had I gotten to for even a glimpse, perhaps I could better understand, if even for a fleeting moment, why they made the decisions they made. Even still, even after all that, it shouldn't be their concern as to what my opinions are of them in their family life. What I'd hope is their largest concern is not what America and the world think of them, but rather, how this has impacted their children's lives.

I'm curious to read Elizabeth Edwards's books (Saving Graces and Resilience) now. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20101208/pl_ac/7359504_elizabeth_edwards_books_resilience_and_saving_graces_talk_about_life_struggles

Now, on to The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls!