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The Glass Castle

A Memoir

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About The Book

THE BELOVED #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER—FROM THE AUTHOR OF HANG THE MOON

The extraordinary, one-of-a-kind, “nothing short of spectacular” (Entertainment Weekly) memoir from one of the world’s most gifted storytellers.


The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Glass Castle is truly astonishing—a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.

The memoir was also made into a major motion picture from Lionsgate in 2017 starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts.

About The Author

Photograph by John Taylor

Jeannette Walls graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, has been a New York Times bestseller for more than eight years. She is also the author of the instant New York Times bestsellers The Silver Star and Half Broke Horses, which was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.

About The Reader

Photograph by John Taylor

Jeannette Walls graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, has been a New York Times bestseller for more than eight years. She is also the author of the instant New York Times bestsellers The Silver Star and Half Broke Horses, which was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (July 11, 2017)
  • Length: 8 disks
  • Runtime: 9 hours
  • ISBN13: 9781508239741

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Awards and Honors

  • PSLA Fiction List
  • ALA Alex Award
  • Pennsylvania School Librarian Association (PSLA) "Top Ten (Or So)" Young Adult Books
  • Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award
  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award List
  • ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults - Top Ten
  • Heather's Pick - Fiction

Resources and Downloads

Common Core Suggestion

Freshman Reading:

 Michigan State University (2006/2007)
Bowling Green State University (2007/2008)
Marshall University (2007/2008)
Grand Valley State University (2007/2008)
Salisbury University (2007/2008)
Appalachian State University (2008/2009)
St. Edward's University (2008/2009)
Villanova University (2008/2009)
Lasell College (2009/2010)
Eastern Kentucky University (2009/2010)
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2009/2010)
Hendrix College (2010/2011)
Massasoit Community College (2010/2011)
Ball State University (2011/2012)
California State University, Northridge (2011/2012)
Michigan Tech University (2011/2012)
University of Akron (2011/2012)
University of Texas at San Antonio (2012/2013)
Chaffey College (2012/2013)
Eastern Oregon University (2012/2013)
Indiana State University (2012/2013)
Meredith College (2012/2013)
McKendree College (2013/2014)
St. Jerome's University (2013/2014)
Ohio State University (2014/2015)
Rider University (2014/2015)
Northwestern College, Iowa (2014/2015)
Northwestern College, Iowa (2015/2016)
Winthrop University (2015/2016)
Winthrop University (2016/2017)

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More books from this author: Jeannette Walls