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I really enjoyed this book. It's about children who grow up in a very different type of abusive household. This book is not about physical child abuse; it's about pure neglect, and how the children each turned out based upon this upbringing. It's a sad story, but quite uplifitng and hopeful, as well. A great read for anyone.
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This was a very interesting but also disturbing memoir about a very strange mother and an alcoholic father raising a family of four and barely scraping by needlessly. Jeannette tells about her childhood from a child's point of view and does an excellent job of communicating the feelings she had towards her parents and their situation. Her dad was a very smart man, but drunk a lot which caused him to have difficulty holding a job and neglected his children. He'd talk about big plans, but did litt
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If this isn't the most remarkable book I have read in 2008 so far, I really don't know. Not only is the story gripping right from the very first page, it is told in such a wonderful way you will find it hard to put the book down.
What I liked most about the book, though, was the unsentimental way Jeannette Walls shares each single memory with the reader. It is only at the moment you close the book that you will actually realize how courageous, tough and self-organized these children had to be a ...more

Dec 26, 2007
Meghan
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
own,
favorites,
american,
nonfiction,
hh-bookclub,
biography,
book-club,
pick-a-shelf-bc,
memoir,
challenge
This has been sitting on my bookshelf for a few years now. I picked it up solely because my live book club had picked it. I bought it but chose not to read it. I generally dislike memoirs, especially if they're about how sad and difficult the author's childhood was because they had terrible parents. So I have been resisting reading this book since I heard about it.
But this year, I decided to do a "dreaded" authors list, and while this book didn't make my top 10, it was put on the long list. And ...more
But this year, I decided to do a "dreaded" authors list, and while this book didn't make my top 10, it was put on the long list. And ...more

Most excellent book I read in a very long while, I read it almost in one setting, I just put it down to sleep. Its funny and tragic in one. I loved reading about all of the adventures they had, and I couldnt believe the strength the kids mustered up in the end. I loved it, and I recommend it highly! Actually, I want to reread it myself, right now!

i couldn't buy that her parents were homeless and eating out of dumpsters, even if they were ~ i couldn't relate to this.
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Jun 02, 2007
Nicole
marked it as to-read


Jan 20, 2008
Branden
marked it as to-read

Jun 24, 2008
Danielle
marked it as to-read

Aug 29, 2008
Abigail (42stitches)
marked it as to-read

Mar 22, 2009
Pumpkin
marked it as to-read