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Shocking, sad, and occasionally bitter, this gracefully written account speaks candidly, yet with surprising affection, about parents and about the strength of family ties--for both good and ill. -- Booklist
Scribner
March 2005
Featuring: Jeannette Walls
304 pages ISBN: 0743247531 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Memoir
Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and
stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their
salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In
the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among
Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a
charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his
children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and
above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who
painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of
providing for her family, called herself an "excitement
addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen
minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that
might last forever. Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the
wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal
West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls
had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole
the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the
dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her
brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting
one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and,
finally, found the resources and will to leave home. What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just
that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get
out, but that she describes her parents with such deep
affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph
against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of
unconditional love in a family that despite its profound
flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a
successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she
tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com,
she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the
writer John Taylor.
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