The Glass Castle is not your ordinary story of a childhood filled with challenges and problems. This is a memoir written by Jeannette Walls about her childhood. Although a memoir and an autobiography are almost interchangeable, an autobiography incorporates the author's life while a memoir is a segment of their life. This memoir describes the defining childhood of Jeanette Walls. Since a memoir is a nonfiction story, the element of nonfiction and truth is the most important. There must be a significant amount of truth to the story for it to be considered nonfiction. This is why accuracy in details is so essential when writing a nonfiction story. Unlike a fictional story, these details and characters are usually not made up. The Glass Castle is the story of Jeannette Walls, the author, who shares her childhood with readers through a flashback. Her story uses her real family members and memories, making it a memoir. The Glass Castle begins in what could have been our modern New York. Jeannette Walls was in a taxi when she saw her mother going through the trash. She was ashamed and asked her mother what to say to people when they asked her questions. His mother simply told him “tell them the truth”. This is what triggered the flashback that took us back to what could have been the 1960s-1970s. Jeannette's first memory is the one that will leave her scarred for life after being burned while cooking hot dogs. The Walls were a family of six. Rex Walls and Rose Mary had 4 children. Jeannette had an older sister Lori and a younger brother Brian. Maureen was born shortly after the Walls moved from southern Arizona to Battle Mountain. The main issues that build suspense are the parents themselves. Rex Walls has a drink... middle of paper... but the fact that your father is an alcoholic and your mother is irresponsible are not topics most parents would like to share. This could cause tension or even anger about the situation. This memoir is a very touching novel. It makes me grateful to have everything Jeannette Walls lacked when she was young. I think nonfiction memoirs/stories have a greater impact on the reader simply because they are relatable in more ways than one. Fictional stories can be made up by anyone, but nonfictional stories are brought to us through real experiences. The downside of a nonfiction story is that not everyone wants to experience truly difficult times. Many people prefer to share their moments of triumph and hide their difficult times. That’s why this memoir, The Glass Castle, is incredibly moving. It's definitely inspiring and touching to the point of remorse.