欧宝娱乐

Nicole,

Funny, but I don't recall Jeannette doing a lot of whining in this book. As far as, ...."alright, I get it...life sucks, move on" Don't you think she did? Most don't.

Cindy,

Like I said, I sometimes don't have a ton of empathy. I am aware of this quality and I acknowledge that I must soften sometimes. I agree she eventually "moved on," but it took how many pages? The book missed something big for me. She had a horrid childhood with insane family members, but how did she "move on?" That's all I'm asking.

I disagree that most don't "move on." In my opinion, if one doesn't surpass challenges, Darwinism will take over...we can all handle a lot more than we think.

Anyway, to me, the book missed a big part by not explaining HOW she went from such a horrific childhood to an Ivy League. Sure, she's successful...but so am I and my friends. We all face adversities in life. Some have worse upbringing than others, but everyone goes through crap. I didn't have to write a book about how I was kidnapped and taken to the other side of the world to become successful. No one helped me apply for college or even suggested a subject to major.

To me, the book never ended and I got to the point of not caring anymore. But, I read it a few years ago and who knows the state of mind I was in at the time. At the time, I didn't think it had any depth.

Perhaps, I should write a memoir. Hah! Nah, an editor would just hack out all the good stuff. C'est la vie.

Don't be apologetic at all about your review. I rated it even lower than you did. I hated this book with a passion. There wasn't anything of value to be taken from it whatsoever. Nothing! I've read a lot of memoirs. I like memoirs, but this was the worst of the lot. Walls shows no emotion about what happened and yet, almost seems to be pleading with the reader to tell her that it's okay to love her "quirky" parents (as SHE paints them) while the reader is thinking, "No dear, your parents weren't quirky - they were lazy and they sucked as parents."

Then she goes on about how she lived on Park Avenue while her parents were homeless bums. La-di-freakin'-da. I've read non-opinion newspaper articles that had me on the edge of my seat more than this. It was a terrible memoir because Walls just isn't a good writer who knows how to convey emotions. I think it only got published because she already had a job in the publishing industry and other people aren't used to reading good memoirs.

Can't complain about your review at all. This book annoyed me and made me angry. It has nothing to do with you leading a "storied life" as a previous poster said. At what point is enough, enough?

Don't read Angela's Ashes for god's sake. That best seller may bore you to death as well. :)

I like a good memoir, but I can't get behind one that doesn't reveal the real work escaping a childhood like that. I agree Nicole, everyone has a hardknock life, some harder than others, but there's nothing particularly special about having fuck ups for parents, I'm surprised this was even published. Your review is spot on.

I absolutely loved this book and I appreciated how the author was able to tell the story of her fucked up parents without distance, without showing emotion. In all honesty, I can't understand why anyone would dislike this book. That's why I like reading reviews of books by people whose opinions differ from my own: when we love a book, we are often reading with tunnel vision and don't see the work as a whole, refuse to acknowledge any flaws in the writing. So, I'm glad to read your review (and any review by people who disliked a book I love) so that I can see the other side of the spectrum. Thank you for sharing.

I understand your complaint, but I think Walls did address those issues. She made it from a crappy shack in the middle of nowhere to a Ivy League career by busting her ass. She moved from Welch to NYC with her sister and worked her way through school. She took crappy jobs at cheap newspapers to make her way up. Lori and Brian did the same things. I think thats the underlying message. You can have a crap childhood and still work your way out of it.
I also respected how she portrayed her parents. They were definitely far from perfect and she addresses their many flaws, but they were still her family and she still cared for them. Part of the story of her making it on her own was her learning how to say 'screw you' when it came to taking care of her parents and leaving them behind to take care of herself.

haha i agree with you 100%.

I saw this book as a comedy from start to finish, and a damned fine one. Sure there were moments when I felt sorry for the kids but I never got the impression the author was trying to wring sympathy from us the readers. Maybe it's just me. Living in Africa, well... If you can't laugh at things you'll lose your marbles.

So much of it did not seem plausible at all.

I totally appreciate your review! I am only 1/3 way through and want to give up (and I rarely give up on a book) because enough is enough! Thanks for being honest!

Um... "Je ne sais quoi." Coulda been what kept you out of the Ivies. :)

Gail wrote: "Um... "Je ne sais quoi." Coulda been what kept you out of the Ivies. :)"

Laughing out Loud...no...I think it was her panache, or lack thereof, that kept her our of the Ivies ;-)

I think the Ivies look for interesting people to educate the non-empathetic among us with diversity...

I just finished this book and really loved it. Juliet, if you're looking for that 'omission' of how she turned her life around, I think it can be found all through the book. Were you cooking your own hotdogs at aged 3? I could not have even begun to make food for myself at that age, even if it meant climbing up to the cupboard to get myself a box of raisins. -And to add I DID grow up in one of those 'pro-self-sufficient' households!

While her parents were on the one hand, horrifically neglectful, shiftless, completely selfish, they also had alternative attributes of love, (even if it was an uneven, unsteady, 'in-their-own-way' kind of love). They opened their children's eyes and experiences to nature, science, culture, art, acceptance and a world of possibilities that most parents cannot or do not do. In spit of the fact that I personally found their easy quips on their childrens' self-reliance to be convenient excuses for their own failings and disinterest, it did, in fact, instill a cast-iron self-reliance and determination in the older three. Only Maureen seemed to lose out, possibly because she was so much younger than the others, THEY took care of her, (she learned that being taken care of was the way to get by in the world), and because her parents had already deteriorated by the time she was old enough to gain from that alternative good that they had to offer. She missed the desert geology expeditions/ lessons, she didn't get her own star鈥�.

Furthermore, it was not surprising to me that Wells would be easily accepted to any Ivy-League school given her history, (alluded to constantly in the book) of work ethic, both academically and financially. She made great grades because she stayed at the library doing homework and extra work, because it was heated. She stayed in the bathroom at lunch reading or doing homework because she was ashamed to seem by the other kids without lunch. She babysat, worked in the jewelry store, collected coal crumbs from the road or recycled bottles because she was desperate - but by-golly, she did it! When she applied to Barnard, she was already working in the job (reporter) they were TEACHING her to be qualified for. Although it was a lesser newspaper, she would have made a success of her life with or without Barnard. They would be foolish to pass up such an applicant. Robin is right, the Ivies choose students who will bring something to the table. She brings a LOT. One of the scenes I was most disappointed in was at Barnard, when the professor scolds her for her lack of knowledge or sympathy for the homeless. She let them down by not speaking up and 'teaching' them/ giving her opinion as based on intimate knowledge with two of those homeless outside the classroom windows. I hope that professor read this book. Had she brought her unique and true perspective to the table that day, well that is why they accept these out of the box applicants. It adds to the discussion. It broadens the horizons of both fellow students and professors.

I don't know if you lack empathy. Maybe you lack a breadth of experience yourself and simply cannot relate or extend your understanding far enough to 'get' this, to encompass it. You missed the 'lessons' right there from the beginning. You missed everything she was saying. That's also kind of inherent in your concern that she got into an Ivy and you didn't. (Who reads a book thinking that!?)

Yes her life did suck and yes she moved on to become successful, in spite of her childhood.

Life sucks, move on??? I can't believe they survived an upbringing like that. I got annoyed by how her father took advantage of her and she let it happen but the children triumphed.

Thank you! I absolutely hated this book, and everyone I know is obsessed with it.

I do not think that she whined to much. The thing was that even though things were hard on her she still continued and made the best of it. Also she was showing how her parents did things but how they gave her love and life lessons.

"I just have so little sympathy and empathy sometimes, especially in books" so why did you pick a book based on those two factors? It's like saying
"stabbing myself hurts"
stabs yourself
complain about the pain.

I agree with you totally, and great to hear from more discerning readers. After 200 pages, I had had my fill of "rough times......move on". I think the scene I most hated was when she dives down in the cab when she sees her mother delving into the garbage can.......what was she expecting, a family reunion if her mother saw her? Ms Wall has made a tremendous amount of money from a very sad life......has she donated any of that to any charities for impoverished children? I will never read another book by her.

I'm sorry if it didn't fit your taste but you knew what you were getting into. This book is a memoir, so it is focused on a specific point in time in the authors life. In the back of the book it clearly states that it's about a dysfunctional family and their adversities. The book was made to center around her childhood adversities, sorry if that doesn't fit your liking but I said it clearly on the book so complaining about the fact that you think the author is going on and on about her problems is more than inconsiderate, it's ignorant. The author did along the way mention pleasurable times that she experienced with her family and one of her obvious characteristics was her ability to overcome her obstacles and see a positive way out of them. I think the ending of the book was a prime example, her moving to New York and getting into the Ivy League school that you mentioned was out of your own reach. Her accomplishments, he'll this book, shows the positives and her 'Moving on' which was something she showed throughout the entire book. I understand negative reviews but this seemed a little more than illogical and ignorant to me. These are very real struggles, and despite their relevance to you and your life they do effect the lives of others. Try reading this book in a few years to see if your perspective changes.

Great point you make here: "Perhaps, the editor deleted a HUGE chapter in her memoir which would have filled the gap between living in a weatherproof shack and going to college, but it just didn't do it for me."
I am not going to read the book. Sounds too much like From Homeless to Harvard. These stories end up heaping praise on the protagonist without ever shedding light on what the hell in their circumstances made it so they could over come the hardships. It is such a cruel disservice to those with worse childhood who have these stories thrown in their face as "See, if ______ did it, anyone can!" If genius is in the details then these broad brushed stories offer more smugness that smarts.

This book was definitely not for you. If all you get out of it is some aggravation that she managed to get into an Ivy league college then you either didn't read it properly or you have some other personal hang up.

Lol "she kept whining" and it irked you she went to an Ivy League college. For one thing, she hardly ever whines. Near the end she has to deal with a drunk father who robs her money and they live in poverty, yet you still say her life was not hard. I bet you're typing this from a computer in your heated/air conditioned home where yo ever have to think twice about what you'll have to buy for dinner in a month due to only making a dollar an hour at a job. Typical response by somebody who doesn't understand how lucky they are.

And you're down voting because of jealousy she got to a prestigious school through hard work and studying. Somebody sounds jealous.

She doesn't complain about her poverty until she becomes a teen and tells her mom to get a job or leave dad so they can go on welfare - I was just explaining this to my husband as I told him a few of her stories. She simply states the facts and not much emotion at all. She seems to believe that all of these experiences and living situations are normal, because her parents told her so. Because she knew no other way. It was this that intrigued me the most. I even cried telling my husband the story about Lori getting new glasses. Because she deserved better... But the way she wrote that story never implied she felt "woe is me" or sad. I felt that sadness for the girl on my own.

Someone said some of the things in this book were unbelievable...Shoot, why don't you look up actual child abuse cases. The depravity that people stoop to is unfortunately very real. Also, just because the author got accepted into Ivy League doesn't mean her past is erased. It's called trauma. It happens. You know, to people who have crappy childhoods.

This is a really old review but I still felt the need to comment.... I think where people come from determines where they're going in life. What makes you believe that because she had a hard life there's no way for her to get into an Ivy League college? Perhaps that's exactly why. And she kind of explains that if I'm not mistaken. She didn't want to live the way she was living anymore so she changed it. She made her own life and she did well. And I'm sorry, a lot of people love their parents unconditionally despite the fact they may be fuck ups. The same goes for parents loving their children even when if they become serial killers or something. It's called unconditional love even when it may not go both ways. Her parents did love her, their own truths just outweighed it sometimes and caused them to show it in inappropriate or "wrong" ways.

Thank you for your review, Nicole. I now feel I have the permission to abandon this book which I have had to continually put down out of sheer frustration, disgust and annoyance. Walls seemed to be trying to write her parents as people to be pitied but I just wanted them arrested and at some points in the narrative, taken out back and shot. I think Walls thinks she is being noble in claiming despair at their refusal of her help when she has become a successful adult but it came off to me as a disingenuous entreaty for sainthood . Look at me! My parents were worthless assholes and I only survived childhood by luck but I still love them and would give them everything I have if only they would take it! Ugh!! Moving on!

There are going to be people who have never experienced that sort of abuse and deprivation and cannot relate to it. Or, you lack the empathy and are consumed by being pissed that she was able to be successful in spite of her childhood. The fact that she survived to tell her story at all, is a miracle. Remember, she only told her story after being encouraged to do so, after others were sniffing around about it - and the author did so reluctantly.

I agree - there was a big, inspiring chunk of Jeannette's story missed in how she got to an Ivy League school. It would be no act of willpower and hardwork to escape that kind of childhood. I couldn't finish the book because I was so digusted by the gross neglect and abuse of children - exacerbated by the author's lack of outrage.

i鈥檓 confused, as to how someone said. you didn鈥檛 read it properly? how do you not read it properly? Oh i know nevermind, it鈥檚 not read properly because you didn鈥檛 like it and they did.

I agree with you 100%. A book about child abuse and useless parents.

I am so relieved someone out there had the same take-away as me! I too felt as something was missing... A truth left untold.

This book disgusted me. Maureen was the only one who told her sorry parents what she thought of them. The parents cared only for themselves and what they wanted. They had no pride in themselves. Jeanette and her brother and sister say they loved their parents regardless. Maureen was the one with courage and told it like it is.

I got sick of her making excuses for her horrible parents.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 like the book because I couldn鈥檛 emphasize with the authors struggles鈥� LMAOO

I hated this book years ago when I first read it and I still do. I do not believe all of it and I think her parents were absolutely shitty as parents. My mom was an alcoholic, my father was rather emotionally distant, so in some ways I had a crappy childhood but some parts were nice. Best part was probably all the books my mother got me! Anyway...Ms. Walls survived her parents but I think she is incapable of saying they were both mentally ill. It's ridiculous when those who love the book think there is something wrong with those of us who hated it except that in my opinion if you love the book you are seriously deluded.

So glad I'm not alone on this! I've failed so many times to get into this book. Thanks for your honesty, now I don't feel so much the nincompoop who lacks narrative imagination.

Absolute crap sums it up. Right on.

Are you seriously jealous of her because she went to an Ivy League school?? Reading this book made me appreciate my boring but safe childhood. I wouldn鈥檛 trade it with hers for the world.

Agree. I barely got through ten pages. Totally unreadable and rather far fetched. I鈥檒l be dropping this book into a book donation bin. I don鈥檛 even want it on my bookshelf.

I feel like I鈥檝e read a few too many of these stories now - nomad, useless parents who might actually be geniuses but are abusive and somehow produce genius, successful children. It鈥檚 almost like it鈥檚 saying - treating your kids awfully brings out the best in them. And it always skates over how exactly they make the leap from their terrible upbringing to attending the top university.