I just finished the book The Glass Castle. Some controversy around this book - people loved it, others hated it to the point of not being able to finish it. Without expounding on others' views, many of which I totally understand, I was deeply pulled into this book. It's an amazing story of childhood, with jaw-dropping incidents that will horrify anyone with an ounce of compassion for kids. But mostly it's a story about survival and forgiveness, and how the two play into one another. I found many of things the parents did entirely unforgivable, but as I thought about it, I don't know how I would have reacted had I been the kids. These are, after all, your parents. It's hard to give up on people, especially your own flesh and blood.
But damn these people were manipulative and horrible, and irresponsible and to add insult to injury...entirely capable. Not incapable, CAPABLE.
Some might wonder, what is the point of reading this book? I left the movie Babel wondering why I bothered. What was I supposed to take away from that mess of disasters and despair? I found this book thought provoking. We all have issues with our parents. If we didn't, the world would not be in therapy and Prozac would not be a household name. And for me, this made me think about those relationships, and how they affects me now as an adult, and what I was capable of accepting at age 20 versus now. I am glad to say my issues are nowhere near these - not even in the same ballpark - but the thoughts remain and they are healthy questions to ask.
I cannot and should not describe it further. If you are curious, read it and see how you think you might react.
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