First brought to my attention by a friend and educator at an area high school, this story describes the resilient life of Jeanette Walls, one of three children. Born to parents who could neither hold jobs or follow the status-quo of a traditional lifestyle, the story chronicles the families’ lives as they move from one southwestern town to another, constantly homeless yet oftentimes by choice. The father’s constantly erratic behavior (patting a giant “cat” at a zoo and setting a Christmas tree aflame) is both humorous and heartbreaking as we see the normalcy ebb out of what should be a consistently safe childhood for his children. The mother’s homeschooling (of very non-traditional content) provided them with the ability to read and write, and determine how to drink unpurified river water and not get sick! The children, for all the early chaos in their lives, land in NYC where they learn that a lifestyle with jobs and consistency brings great rewards and satisfaction. They ultimately divorce themselves from their parents who plummet deep into the homeless population of the city. Easy to read and with minimal adornment, Walls sweeps us along in her turbulent upbringing with a simplicity that feels like she’s sitting at our kitchen table telling us her tale.
-Recommended by Kim Weeks (PRHS Library Aide)
-Recommended by Kim Weeks (PRHS Library Aide)