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Jeannette Burns Herself While Cooking Hot Dogs
When Jeannette is three years old she lives with her mom, dad, brother and sister in a trailer. She is allowed to cook hot dogs on the stove for herself when she gets hungry. One day she is cooking hot dogs when the stove lights her dress on fire. Her mom quickly rushes her to the hospital where the nurses say she is lucky to be alive. Her stomach area is badly burned and the doctors perform a skin graft to repair the damage. She stays in the hospital for 3 weeks until her dad takes her out. -
The Walls Family Moves to California
After being on the move for a while the Walls family moves to California where they stay in an abandoned train station for a while. Jeannette, Lori and Brian all go to school while their parents work. Jeannette meets a boy named Billy who tries to force her to date him. She keeps saying no,eventually leads to Billy coming to the Walls house with a BB gun and shooting at the Walls kids. Brian gets their dads gun and shoots at Billy until he leaves. This forces the Walls family to move again. -
The Walls Family Moves to Their Grandmother House in Arizona
After the debacle in California and the death of Jeannette grandmother, the Walls family decides to move to Arizona. They stay in the grandmother house and it's one of the better times for the Walls family. The inheritance from their grandmother allows them to buy some nice things like bikes for the kids as well as affording utilities. They stay there for a couple years until Rex loses his job and they can't afford to live there anymore. From there they move to West Virginia, Rex's home town. -
The Walls Family Moves in with Erma
After running out of money the Walls family is forced to move to Welch, West Virginia to stay with Rex's mother Erma. Erma is unfriendly toward Jeannette and her siblings as well as their mother. Jeannette parents decide to go back to Arizona to get stuff from the house that they left behind. The kids have to stay with Erma alone which causes tension. One day Erma sexually abuses Brian, Lori and Jeannette stand up for him. This angers Erma and she kicks the Walls family out of her house. -
The Little House On Hobart Street
After being kicked out of Erma's house the Walls family has to find another place to live. They end up finding a run down shack on Hobart street which they can barely afford. Rex decides that he will someday build the glass castle there even having the kids dig out a pit for it. The kids go to school in Welch and are seen as outsiders because of coming from Arizona. This causes them to get into lots of fights with other kids. The kids don't like it in Welch, but Rex doesn't want to move. -
High School in Welch
The Walls still live on Hobart street and Jeannette is now in high school. High school is better for Jeannette as she finds her way into the school newspaper club. She really loves writing articles and interviewing people. At one point she gets to interview a famous air force pilot which makes her dad proud of her. Lori is coming close to graduating and is trying to get to New York city. Jeannette and Brian help her save money each of them giving money to help Lori get out of Welch. -
Lori Moves Out of Welch
After saving money for close to a year, putting it all in a plastic piggy bank, Rex steals the money from the piggy bank. Lori and Jeannette are furious at him and Lori begins to give up on trying to get to New York. Jeannette still works on trying to get Lori money to move out but can't get enough. Though Jeannette is offered a job from a friend's parents to help take care of their kids over the summer. Jeannette gives Lori the job and after the summer, Lori finally moved to New York. -
Jeannette Moves Out of Welch
After Lori gets settled in New York, Jeannette is next in line to move to New York. Jeannette worked hard to earn money and became the top person at her school's paper. She graduates high school and gets ready to move to New York. Rex is disappointed that Jeannette is leaving Welch and begs her to stay. Jeannette feels bad, but knows that she doesn't want to live her whole life in Welch. She goes to the bus station the day after graduating with her dad. She gets a ticket and leaves Welch. -
Life in New York City
Jeannette lives with Lori in a New York City Apartment. She helps pay the rent by working at a restaurant until she eventually lands a job at a newspaper company. She works hard at the newspaper company earning the respect of her boss. Lori starts telling Jeannette that she should go to college and get an actual degree. Jeannette follows Lori's advice and attends Columbia University and after that Barnard College. Brian eventually moves to New York when he graduates and moves in with Lori. -
Jeannette's Parents Move to New York
Jeannette, Lori and Brian all have their own places in New York and are all working jobs. Jeannette is still attending College when her parents first move to New York. For a little while her parents stay with Lori and Brian until they get into a fight and get kicked out. From there her parents live on the streets of New York. Jeannette gets to her last year of college, but can't afford it. She tells her dad and he gives her enough money to pay for it. Jeannette graduated college in 1984. -
Rex Walls Dies
After graduating from Barnard College, Jeannette lands a job at a large newspaper company. She is living the life she always wanted to live, she marries a wealthy man, Eric Goldberg. Brian gets a job on the police force and Jeannette's parents find an abandoned building to live in. One day Jeannette visits her parents only to find out the news that her dad is terminally ill and has only a few months to live. He later has a heart attack and ends up in the hospital, dying a few days later. -
Thanksgiving
After the death of her father, Jeannette reassess her life. She realizes she is not happy with Eric and ends up divorcing him. She remarries a fellow New York City writer by the name of John Taylor. She gets a house with him in the suburbs and she finds contentment with her life. In 2003 she meets up with Brian, Lori and her mom for Thanksgiving. She introduces her new husband to her mom and gets to see Brian and Lori again. At the dinner table they do a toast to Rex Walls to commemorate him.
