Jeannette Walls book summaries

“I was on fire.”

The opening line of the book, describing Jeannette's childhood accident when she caught fire cooking hot dogs.

“You're not going to die. You're a Walls.”

Rex tells Jeannette after she is burned, emphasizing the family's toughness.

“The glass castle was a symbol of all the things we would do and have and be.”

Jeannette reflects on her father's grand plans for the family's future.

“I think a lot of people are like that. They have a dream, but they don't have the discipline to make it come true.”

Jeannette's mother, Rose Mary, explains why Rex never built the glass castle.

“We were always supposed to be ready to move on, to leave everything behind.”

Jeannette describes the family's nomadic lifestyle and her father's restlessness.

“I didn't want to be like my mother. I wanted to be the opposite of her.”

Jeannette reflects on her determination to escape her mother's passivity.