'The Wall'

The Glass Castle: A Memoir
$15.00
***SPOILER ALERT***

Okay, I have studied memoir writing and understand that even the most true-to-form autobiographer needs to embellish to a certain point. You may remember a meaningful or traumatic event from your childhood, or even adulthood, but it is not possible to recount every specific detail and each word of conversation needed to convey a compelling narrative. At some point, you need to fill in the blanks. It doesn't mean that the essence of the story is untrue. In some cases, such as James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces," the embellishment strays into complete fiction, and that is inexcusable. Some of the tales related in "The Glass Castle" smack of that kind of fabrication. (Sorry, no way I believe that a three-year-old, however bright, remembers conversational interchanges, the nature of adult expressions, or specific details about setting some forty years later.) But I'm willing to give Walls the benefit of the doubt until evidence surfaces to the contrary. Only she and her family know the truth.

That being said, my criticism of this book lies in the relentless procession of tribulations endured by the author and her family. This is literally one bleak, mournful story of neglect, poverty, and suffering after another. It is very much in the vein of "Angela's Ashes," where, just when you couldn't imagine anyone suffering a more degrading humiliation, something else comes along to prove you wrong. "The Glass Castle" is the story of monumental parental dysfunction and the writer's struggles to overcome it. Which is fine, as long as you're not expecting insight or exposition, just stories about eating out of the garbage and living without heat or plumbing.

Several of the tales did strain believability. The one that stuck out most for me was the story about the children saving money in a piggy bank to help fund the eldest child's escape from the squalid home in which they were living. The children are older at this point, and have long since come to understand that their dad is a degenerate alcoholic who has little compunction about stealing what he needs to satisfy his addictions. And yet, these supposedly "gifted" children leave a piggy bank filled with cash in plain view of their reprobate father, then profess anger and disappointment when he steals the money. Huh? The author sets up a number of scenarios in the same manner; telegraphing the outcome and then inviting the reader to be astonished by it.

Many reviewers have saluted Jeanette Walls for not being analytical or judgmental of her parents' behaviors. I disagree entirely. With virtually every episode, her rendering of the family's dire predicament is underscored by a palpable subtext that makes it obvious that she believed all along that her parents were capable of providing a better life but had intentionally chosen not to. That may be a perfectly valid assessment, but it is a judgment nonetheless, given that she was the beneficiary of their atrocious decisions.

Bottom line: If stories about the downtrodden, the poverty-stricken, the dysfunctional, and the destitute appeal to you, then you will very likely relate to "The Glass Castle." It fairly oozes anguish and misery. It's not a bad book, but it's not a great book either.

Pink Floyd - The Wall 25th Anniversary (Deluxe Edition)
$17.98
a true classic video adaptation of a classic concept album. Whether or not the video matches the artists true vision, I can't comment - however this is a snapshot in time to pull out and enjoy on special occasions.

Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System---and Themselves
$32.95
I have read other recent book on the financial crises. This is the best. It gives a realistic account of the pressure based decisions and atmosphere that must have existed. Those with conspiracy theories should read this book to appreciate the fact that the prevailing goal and spirit of the financial leaders was to sift through some very unattractive possibilities and get to the most favorable outcome for the country- while the target kept shifting.

I was disappointed and distracted that in the rush to get to print some basic editing of duplicate paragraphs, misspelled words and inaccurate facts were overlooked..
eg. London's Canary Wharf is not and has never been referred to as the "square mile".

Hopefully later editions will be more professionally prepared.

Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel
$26.00
This was a book that kept your interest - it was not a great book, but I enjoyed it. Its not a book that I would tell my friends to read.