The Glass Castle

I read Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week for a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes. The Glass Castle keeps getting more intense as I read. Jeannette and her siblings lives get more sad and chaotic as the story fo her childhood goes on. They had finally settled in Phoenix, in her grandma's home and things were great. They had running water, food, lots of room, a bed, clean clothes and they were happy. The author describes Phoenix and the orange trees outside in their yard as being so refreshing. Jeannette was happy and content with her life. Then her parents make them leave all of  their belongings and go across country to West Virginia. The trip took over two months and their car broke down and once again they had to leave whatever possessions they had.
The family arrives to their dads mom's home and it is a disaster. She is abusive towards the kids and they don't eat or shower and she confines them to the basement. Their parents never stick up for them.
Reading all of these sad experiences makes my heart hurt for children that go through life like this daily. The parents could prevent all of the chaos and abuse and neglect but they choose not to due to their own selfish reasons. Their mom has a teaching degree and could be providing for the family and get them running water, electricity, a warm fresh meal but instead they expose them to a horrible environment and make them think of it as an adventure. The parents also say to the kids that it could be worse. I can't imagine their lives being any worse than it already is.  The kids get made fun of at school my other students and the teachers.
The author has done a great job so far with descriptive words and painting the picture of the sad situations the kids experience. The emotional aspect of the book is heartbreaking! I am so curious to see how the book progresses and what happens to the family.