The Glass Castle

For the 1950 film, see The Glass Castle (1950 film). For the 2017 film, see The Glass Castle (2017 film). For the South Korean television series, see Glass Castle.

The Glass Castle
First hardcover edition (2005)
AuthorJeannette Walls
Cover artistRodrigo Corral
LanguageEnglish
GenreMemoir
PublisherScribner
Publication date
March 2005
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint & E-Edition
Pages289
ISBN0-7432-4753-1
Preceded byDish: The Inside Story on the World of Gossip 
Followed byHalf Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel 

The Glass Castle is a 2005 memoir by American author Jeannette Walls. Walls recounts her dysfunctional and nomadic yet vibrant upbringing, emphasizing her resilience and her father's attempts toward redemption. Despite her family's flaws, their love for each other and her unique perspective on life allowed her to create a successful life of her own, culminating in a career in journalism in New York City. The book's title refers to her father's ultimate unfulfilled promise, to build his dream home for the family: a glass castle.

The Glass Castle has received broad readership and positive critical feedback for Walls' balanced perspective on the positives and negatives of her childhood.[1][2][3] It has been used in North American grade school curriculum, leading to some controversy, as The Glass Castle was listed No. 9 on the Office for Intellectual Freedom's list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2012.[4] Noted reasons for challenging the book include its "offensive language" and being "sexually explicit".[4]

The memoir spent over 260 weeks in hardcover on The New York Times Best Seller list, and it remained on the paperback nonfiction bestseller list until October 10, 2018, having remained for 440 weeks.[5][6][7] By late 2007, The Glass Castle had received many awards, including the Christopher Award, the American Library Association's Alex Award (2006), and the Books for Better Living Award.[8]

The Glass Castle was adapted as a feature film, released in the summer of 2017, starring Brie Larson as Jeannette Walls.[9]

  1. ^ Bender, Melissa (April 2018). "Dysfunctional Family Values: United States Memoir in the Neoliberal Age". The Journal of Popular Culture. 51 (2): 534–549. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12654.
  2. ^ Bartkevicius, Jocelyn (2006). "Review of The Glass Castle". Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. 8 (1): 150–152. doi:10.1353/fge.2006.0001. ISSN 1522-3868. JSTOR 41938857. S2CID 110724070.
  3. ^ "Book Marks reviews of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls". Book Marks. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  4. ^ a b admin (March 26, 2013). "Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "Best Sellers March 18, 2012". The New York Times. March 18, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  6. ^ Susan Harrison Wolffis (June 3, 2008). "Best-selling author to speak in Fremont". The Muskegon Chronicle.
  7. ^ "Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller List, October 10 2018". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  8. ^ Walls, Jeannette (October 6, 2009). The Class Castle. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781439156964.
  9. ^ Cretton, Destin Daniel (August 11, 2017), The Glass Castle (Biography, Drama), Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts, Ella Anderson, Lionsgate, TIK Films, Netter Productions, retrieved May 15, 2021