Something Special

I have read a lot of books in my 19 years. I’d even dare to say more than a lot of my fellow classmates. I took AP Literature my senior year of high school and it was one of my favorite classes without a doubt. But there are some books that I just don’t enjoy reading. Then there are the books that will stick with me forever. There are some books that taught me a lesson or opened my eyes to a part of life that I never valued or even knew existed before. Jeanette Walls’ book The Glass Castle was one of those special books for me. Some books are special because they make me work hard to read and comprehend, like Shakespeare, but this was actually quite an easy read. I read this book for the first time my sophomore year of high school, but when I read it again as the freshman reader, I realized how unable I was to appreciate it the first time around. Being just a couple years older, I was able to comprehend the situations in the book, and I was even able to relate to and understand some of the hard relationships Jeanette grew up with. Although I’ve never had to live out of a car or in a house with a collapsing roof, I felt that Jeanette made her story into one that everyone can relate to in some aspect. She made her story into one of hope springing from heartbreak, the acceptance of everyone no matter what their background or past, and the acceptance of your own past and struggles. I learned a few things from this and I was delighted when she came to speak and I learned that her story has inspired plenty of others as well, if not more. The Joshua Tree in particular is a symbol that has continued to stick with me.