Jeanette Walls is the author of The Glass Castle, Half Broke Horses, and The Silver Star. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, tells the story of the hardscrabble life she survived growing up with bizarre parents who eventually became homeless in New York City while at the same time she was a successful journalist. The Glass Castle is a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 22 languages.
I recently heard her speak at McKendree University’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Here are a few notes I jotted down from her talk.
“I’m just a woman with a story…The telling of this story has changed my life.”
The most valuable gift you can give a child is a hope and a dream for the future. The glass castle that her dad always dreamt about represented her hope for the future.
Her dad taught her to confront her demons.
People read memoirs to understand and relate to others.
“Increased understanding always leads to increased compassion.”
People are tougher than they think they are. We should learn from our ancestors. We need to get in touch with our inner “tough old broads” and “tough old coots.”
We’re resilient. We’re strong. We all have “texture.”
Her mom was always uber optimistic. When her mom fell off a horse, Jeannette asked her what was so good about that. She replied that anybody can stay on a horse but it takes skill to know how to fall off a horse and survive intact. Jeannette understood that trials make us stronger.
I recently heard her speak at McKendree University’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Here are a few notes I jotted down from her talk.
“I’m just a woman with a story…The telling of this story has changed my life.”
The most valuable gift you can give a child is a hope and a dream for the future. The glass castle that her dad always dreamt about represented her hope for the future.
Her dad taught her to confront her demons.
People read memoirs to understand and relate to others.
“Increased understanding always leads to increased compassion.”
People are tougher than they think they are. We should learn from our ancestors. We need to get in touch with our inner “tough old broads” and “tough old coots.”
We’re resilient. We’re strong. We all have “texture.”
Her mom was always uber optimistic. When her mom fell off a horse, Jeannette asked her what was so good about that. She replied that anybody can stay on a horse but it takes skill to know how to fall off a horse and survive intact. Jeannette understood that trials make us stronger.
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