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The Desert
Jeannette Walls is 3 years old living in Phoenix Arizona with her parents and 3 siblings. One day Jeannette was cooking hot dogs and caught on fire. She was rushed to the hospital. Then her father quickly grabs her and leaves so the dad doesn't have to pay the hosptial bills. A few days later her father says to pack up because they are "leaving this shit-hole behind". -
Las Vegas (page 29)
On the way to Vegas, Jeanettes dad, Rex, decided to drink, smoke and drive. Jeannette was flung from the car. She rolled several yards, blood running down her face, knees and elbows scraped with pebbles in her skin. She waited a long time before her dad finally came back for her. He makes a joke about her "snotlocker" as a kind of apology. In Vegas, Rex finds a way to win during the game of Blackjack & brings in money for the family for about 6 months before getting caught. -
San Fransico (page 32)
The family stays in a motel until it is burnt down. Theylived in the car on the beach for a few days. A polite police officer told them they could no longer sleep on the beach so he asked them to move somewhere else. They decide to go back to the desert. -
Midland California (page 35)
On the way to Midland, California the mom stopped the car to paint a picture of a Joshua tree. The dad gets a job at the gypsum mine. He then loses his job before Christmas. The family usually celebrates the holidays a week after December 25, besides the kids don't believe in Santa Claus. But this year they had no money so the father took each child outside to pick their own star. -
Blythe, California (page 42)
In Blythe, California Jeanette enrolls in school and goes to the top of her class. Her classmates pick on her constantly for being the teachers pet. A few days after school starts she gets jumped in the alleyway by 4 Mexican girls and gets beat up. That night she comes home with injurys and a busted lip. Her dad just says "That's my girl!". The next day the girls try and beat her again but this time Brian was with her (with a bat) and they fended the girls off. Two months later Maureen was born. -
Battle Mountain (page 51)
The family move into an old, wooden abandoned railroad depot with no furniture, instead they used cardboard boxes as tables, chairs and beds. The dad got a job as an electrician in a barite mine. The children enrolled in school and Jeanette starts a rock collection and starts collecting cans for extra cash. Their house was filled with animals including cats, lizards, dogs, snakes etc. Jeanette learned how to swim by her dad throwing her in the water saying "Sink or swim!" -
Battle Mountain Part 2 (page 67)
The dad loses his job and the family begins to starve. The Mom and Dad begin to fight constantly about money and the way they are living. Mom, Mary, was hired at the Elementary School as a teacher, the students loved her but she hated teaching. -
Battle Mountain Part 3 (page 76)
Jeanette is 8 years old. Billy Deel & his dad moved in next door. Billy is immature, but still becomes Jeanette's friend when he gives her a ring. Billy, Jeanette & other kids play hide & seek. They both hid in a shed. Billy started to kiss her against her will. Jeanette bit his ear to stop him. The next day Billy showed up at her house threatning her with a BB gun. Brian got a real gun & took a shot near Billy (not shoot him). The poilce came to the house. The Walls decide to move to Phoenix. -
Phoenix (page 91)
Grandma Smith dies and leaves her property and money to Mary. They move back to Phoenix (into Grandma's house) and the Dad gets a job. Lori gets glasses and can see clearer now, the kids got bikes and mom threw herself into her art career. There were Gypsies and perverts living in the neighbourhood. One night a pervert breaks into Jeanette's room and her and Brian chases him away. -
Fighting (page 116)
Jeanette is 10 now and asks her dad to stop drinking as a birthday gift. Dad stopped drinking for a while, but then one day when the Dad was drunk he and her Mom began fighting (with knives, and wrestling to the floor) and almost killed each other. Then laughed it off, but the kids didn't think it was funny. Mary sells some land and the family decides to move to Welch, West Virgina to live with Rex's family. -
Welch, West Virgina (page 129)
Walls family moves in with the Dad's parents in Welch. Grandma is cruel and forced the children to live in the basement in a single bed. Jeanette gets put in a learning disabily class and the teachers pick on Jeanette for acting as if she was better than everyone else. She gets picked on at school. Mom and Dad take a quick trip to Arizona to collect some items they left behind. While they were gone Grandma attempts to molest Brian. This leads to a fist fight between Lori and Grandma. -
New Home in Welch (page 150)
Mom and Dad get home from their trip. The house had been robbed so there was little for the parents to bring back to Welch. The Walls family gets kicked out of Grandma's house because of the fight between Grandma and the kids. They move into a leaky roof, no plumbing, run down house. The Dad plans to follow the blueprints of the Glass Castle. The children fought a lot in Welch, especially with a kid named Ernie. Dad was now disappearing for days at a time and the kids were going hungry. -
Winter (page 175)
Winter was hard that year. The kids had to stay warm by sleeping with stray dogs. The family melts snow for water. While Lori tried to start a fire there was an explosion and she had sores and some burns on her body. Grandma died of liver failure, Lori sang "Ding-dong the witch is dead." Dad got very upset and left without a word. Days later he had not come home so Jeanette set out to find him in pubs and bars. She finally found him drunk and brought him home. -
New Start (page 196)
The Dad started stealing money from the kids and from Mom (new teaching job). The kids found ways to budget their money and live easier than before. Dad took Jeanette to the bar where she was hit on by older men (page 211). Lori, Jeanette and Brian decide to start saving for their escape to New York. Lori graduates high school and moves to New York. Jeanette works hard to save money so she can spend her senior year in New York. -
New York (page 245)
Jeanette leaves Welch and goes to New York (living with Lori) to finish off her senior year. Jeanette gets a job internship at The Pheonix writing articles. She finds her own place and gets loans and grants in order to pay for her tuition at Barnard University. The following year Brian and Maureen join them in New York. -
Parents (page 252)
Three years later the Mom and Dad come to live in New York. They move in with Lori in her aparentment and live with Brian in his apartment. There are many arguments between Lori and Brian and the parents. Brian tells Dad to stop drinking or leave his house. Lori tells Mom to clean up her belongings that are all over the house. Rex and Mary start sleeping in their car until it gets towed and they end up homeless. -
The Future (page 262)
Jeannette is thinking of dropping out of university because of her expensive tuition. Her Dad plays poker & wins her $1000 to pay off her tuition. Rex and Mary find a free & run down apartment to live in. Month later, Jeanette graduates from Bernard. Jeannette moves in with her boyfriend, Eric. Jeannette works as a full-time columnist at The Pheonix & does various work for New York magazines. Lori works as an illustrator at a comic-book company & Brian has become a police officer. -
Maureen (page 274)
Jeannette and Eric get married 4 years after she moves in. Maureen graduated high school, but never applied herself in college. She ended up living with her parents, smoking, on drugs and one day stabbed Mary. She was arrested then sent to a hospital for one year. After that year Maureen moved to California. -
Moving On (page 280)
Brian got married and had a little girl named Veronica. Dad had a heart attack and passed away. A year later Jeannette left Eric because she felt they weren't right for each other anymore. -
Another Beginning (page 285)
Jeannette remarried to John Taylor, a jounalist. They live with their 15 year old daughter, Jessica (from John's first marriage). John insisted on inviting Mom, Lori, Brian &his daughter over for Thanksgiving. Brian divored his wife the same time Jeannette did. He is now a decorated sergeant dective and living a good life. Maureen is living her life in California. Lori is loving her job & casual life in New York. Jeannette is happily married in her dream house and working at her dream job.