Interesting, but not moving

Jeannette Walls Describes her childhood in California and Midwest America and later in New York City. Her parents - her father at almost permanently drunk dreamer and nonconformist and her mother to underestimated artist and writer - bring up four children without knowing how to make ends meet as the - irregular - income goes away Regularly for booze and gambling. Nonetheless all of them get a wide range of knowledge due to Their parents' love of books and science and learn to survive in the most unfriendly circumstances. As there is always something happening in Jeannette's childhood, reading the book never gets boring.

The author's intention to write down what her experience so she can find peace with her past and her parents, Which in the end is happening. Fine. The account is mostly written in the style of detached description with only few hints to how the author really felt during her childhood. You can only guess how much she and her siblings Suffered from the circumstances and you start wondering why only one of them stepped into her parents' shoes. They all must have struggled a lot more than you can take from the book to be able to live Their dreams - a pity the description of this struggle has so little space in the book. So the book - though very interesting - what not truely moving.