Book Critique: The Glass Castle
Book Critiques are like book reports that each student needs to complete each semester in order to pass the class. If you complete one book critique your able to earn a B along with your other assignments. If you manage to complete two, you have a better chance of receiving an A for your final grade . Once you've finished your book you need to create a document to where you can type the three questions that you have chosen and answer them. The questions are based upon if you read a fiction or non fiction book. Within the process of you writing your book critique you need to make sure you recommend the book or not. Each response to a question needs to hold one piece of evidence from the book (a quote).
I learned how to properly understand what a book is trying to say whether if its fiction or non fiction, theres always a message or lesson trying to be sent to the reader. The questions helped me analyze what the authors message was. My book was a memoir so there wasn't a specific message that she was trying to tell but more of her story. Writing the book critiques have taught me that you don't actually know what a character is like. The main characters are always hiding something and the questions helped me figure what my characters secret is. They would make me have different perspectives about each character. I learned that you don't really know what to think of the story because it may seem good to one characters point of view but by placing yourself in another characters shoes I realized "oh this is different" because they would be in a different position.
I learned how to properly understand what a book is trying to say whether if its fiction or non fiction, theres always a message or lesson trying to be sent to the reader. The questions helped me analyze what the authors message was. My book was a memoir so there wasn't a specific message that she was trying to tell but more of her story. Writing the book critiques have taught me that you don't actually know what a character is like. The main characters are always hiding something and the questions helped me figure what my characters secret is. They would make me have different perspectives about each character. I learned that you don't really know what to think of the story because it may seem good to one characters point of view but by placing yourself in another characters shoes I realized "oh this is different" because they would be in a different position.
Book Critique: The Glass Castle - Non-Fiction
The Glass castle is a memoir, which is counted as non-fiction. There was no argument but a message Jeannette was trying to get out. Throughout the book she tells short stories about what she and her family have gone through to survive and live to build their house, a castle made of glass walls. This was the one thing that brought the family together. I recommend The Glass Castle to everyone.
The message of the book was that she was ashamed of who she was and how she and her family lived. She was ashamed that she was raised by the town drunk, a crazy mother, living in a house that was half painted, had leaks,that had a backyard filled with garbage. With her father known as the town drunk, and her mother lost in her own world, wanting to take off to become an artist, Jeannette and her siblings have always needed to take care of themselves. At school she was always looked at differently. Her clothes were tattered, her shoes had holes in them, and since her family was poor she didn't maintain good hygiene . During lunchtime when she wouldn't have anything to eat and she was asked by other kids “Wheres your lunch?” she would resort to telling them a lie to avoid of what they might say. “At lunch time when other kids unwrapped their sandwiches or brought their hot meals, Brian and I would get out our books and read. I told people that I had forgotten to bring my lunch. No one believed me so I started hiding in the bathroom.” (Page 173). Jeannette would always incorporate little stories like this throughout the book about not wanting others knowing her true identity. In the beginning Jeannette had grown up living in New York City. Shes in a taxi waiting on a red light when she turns and spots her homeless mother digging through a dumpster, “I was overcome with panic that she'd see me and call out my name....I slid down in the seat and asked the driver to turn and take me home to Park avenue.” (Page 3). When she grew older in New York, she states in her book that every time she would eat a hot meal she would feel bad because her parents would be on the streets. Jeannette was scared of telling the truth to everyone because of what people might think of her, until now.
The consequences were that Jeannette lacked communication, she would never take chances. Jeannette never overcame being ashamed.She never had good communication with her parents and wouldn't tell them how she really felt. she was placed in situations that made her feel uncomfortable, she was sexually harassed by a teenage boy, having to live in weird circumstances that aren't normal for children, and having her own father take her to bars to act as “bait” for other men to challenge him. In the book she explained how she felt about those certain situations but she would never end up communicating with her family. In the book it shows how Jeannette backs down by giving into her fathers way because she had a soft spot for him more than anyone. “Hon i need some money. For what? Beer and cigarettes. I dont need much just five dollars. Thats two whole days worth of food....I took out my green plastic change purse and handed him a crumbled up five and passed it over, thanks you're a doll., Giving him that money pissed me off.” (Page 209). This shows for some reason she couldn't even tell her own dad how she felt about giving the money for beer instead of food for her younger siblings. What was getting in the way of her communicating with her dad was her softspot, what she needed to do was find the balance of knowing when to say something and when not to. If she never communicated with her family then they wouldn't try changing. which would lead them to where they are now. back in New York if you fast forward, she's in college while her parents are living on the street, and her college professor is talking about homelessness. “What do you know about the hardships that the underclass face? The other students were staring at me, You have a point.” (Page 257). Again, Jeannette doesn't stick up for her mom and dad because she would have to explain who she really was. “I felt like telling Carol my parents were out there too and that she had no idea of what it was like down on your luck, but that meant I would have to explain who i really was, I wasn't about to do that.” (Page 256). Jeannette was ashamed of the flaws that her family had. I feel like that if she explained who she was, she could let go of her shame and explain that her father wasn't just the town drunk. He had a goal to take care of his family and what all brought them together was the Glass Castle. Since she wouldn't take chances of opening up to someone, she stayed stuck in the same situation.
Another perspective of Jeannette's situation would be her moms. I felt sorry for the mom because she never got the life she wanted and she saw everything should come i a natural way. when Jeannette and her sibling were younger and they would play with the neighborhood kids, they would always get scrapes and bruises. Jeanette's mom, Rosemary, would never come to the rescue she thought that if you weren't bleeding bad then you were fine. She raised her kids to tough things out. She always wanted to be free and let her imagination run wild through her artwork. I couldn't imagine how she felt about having four kids. In the beginning it shows how she sees life and meaning in everything, “ Well, people are too wasteful in this country, its my way of recycling.” (Page 5)
The Glass castle is a memoir, which is counted as non-fiction. There was no argument but a message Jeannette was trying to get out. Throughout the book she tells short stories about what she and her family have gone through to survive and live to build their house, a castle made of glass walls. This was the one thing that brought the family together. I recommend The Glass Castle to everyone.
The message of the book was that she was ashamed of who she was and how she and her family lived. She was ashamed that she was raised by the town drunk, a crazy mother, living in a house that was half painted, had leaks,that had a backyard filled with garbage. With her father known as the town drunk, and her mother lost in her own world, wanting to take off to become an artist, Jeannette and her siblings have always needed to take care of themselves. At school she was always looked at differently. Her clothes were tattered, her shoes had holes in them, and since her family was poor she didn't maintain good hygiene . During lunchtime when she wouldn't have anything to eat and she was asked by other kids “Wheres your lunch?” she would resort to telling them a lie to avoid of what they might say. “At lunch time when other kids unwrapped their sandwiches or brought their hot meals, Brian and I would get out our books and read. I told people that I had forgotten to bring my lunch. No one believed me so I started hiding in the bathroom.” (Page 173). Jeannette would always incorporate little stories like this throughout the book about not wanting others knowing her true identity. In the beginning Jeannette had grown up living in New York City. Shes in a taxi waiting on a red light when she turns and spots her homeless mother digging through a dumpster, “I was overcome with panic that she'd see me and call out my name....I slid down in the seat and asked the driver to turn and take me home to Park avenue.” (Page 3). When she grew older in New York, she states in her book that every time she would eat a hot meal she would feel bad because her parents would be on the streets. Jeannette was scared of telling the truth to everyone because of what people might think of her, until now.
The consequences were that Jeannette lacked communication, she would never take chances. Jeannette never overcame being ashamed.She never had good communication with her parents and wouldn't tell them how she really felt. she was placed in situations that made her feel uncomfortable, she was sexually harassed by a teenage boy, having to live in weird circumstances that aren't normal for children, and having her own father take her to bars to act as “bait” for other men to challenge him. In the book she explained how she felt about those certain situations but she would never end up communicating with her family. In the book it shows how Jeannette backs down by giving into her fathers way because she had a soft spot for him more than anyone. “Hon i need some money. For what? Beer and cigarettes. I dont need much just five dollars. Thats two whole days worth of food....I took out my green plastic change purse and handed him a crumbled up five and passed it over, thanks you're a doll., Giving him that money pissed me off.” (Page 209). This shows for some reason she couldn't even tell her own dad how she felt about giving the money for beer instead of food for her younger siblings. What was getting in the way of her communicating with her dad was her softspot, what she needed to do was find the balance of knowing when to say something and when not to. If she never communicated with her family then they wouldn't try changing. which would lead them to where they are now. back in New York if you fast forward, she's in college while her parents are living on the street, and her college professor is talking about homelessness. “What do you know about the hardships that the underclass face? The other students were staring at me, You have a point.” (Page 257). Again, Jeannette doesn't stick up for her mom and dad because she would have to explain who she really was. “I felt like telling Carol my parents were out there too and that she had no idea of what it was like down on your luck, but that meant I would have to explain who i really was, I wasn't about to do that.” (Page 256). Jeannette was ashamed of the flaws that her family had. I feel like that if she explained who she was, she could let go of her shame and explain that her father wasn't just the town drunk. He had a goal to take care of his family and what all brought them together was the Glass Castle. Since she wouldn't take chances of opening up to someone, she stayed stuck in the same situation.
Another perspective of Jeannette's situation would be her moms. I felt sorry for the mom because she never got the life she wanted and she saw everything should come i a natural way. when Jeannette and her sibling were younger and they would play with the neighborhood kids, they would always get scrapes and bruises. Jeanette's mom, Rosemary, would never come to the rescue she thought that if you weren't bleeding bad then you were fine. She raised her kids to tough things out. She always wanted to be free and let her imagination run wild through her artwork. I couldn't imagine how she felt about having four kids. In the beginning it shows how she sees life and meaning in everything, “ Well, people are too wasteful in this country, its my way of recycling.” (Page 5)