Despite the rumors, reading can still be fun and is extremely beneficial.  In addition to introducing readers to new horizons, books introduce readers to new vocabulary––reading can have huge influence on the scores of tests like the ACT and SAT.  Researchers have also found that reading can decrease a person’s  level of stress by as much as 68% according to RealSimple, a magazine on life tips.

This winter I made the time to sit down and indulge in alternate universes with characters that I connected with. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and the lives they lead, being able to relate them to my own life. Books have the ability to transfix readers and demand attention like nothing else. This winter I had the time and decided to enjoy my snow break by reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

Jeannette Walls graduated from Barnard College in 1984 and became a celebrity gossip reporter for high-profile publications.  The Glass Castle, published in 2005, made the New York Times list of 100 notable books that year and received encouraging reviews. It currently has four million copies in print. She has gone on to write other novels with similar thematic ideas––novels that dive deep into pieces of Walls broken past.

From a very young age Walls was independent and self sufficient––not because she wanted to be, but because she had to be. Walls’ mother is described as a homeless woman by choice who enjoyed the simple aspects of life and did not see uniform education to be the only place to learn. Her father spiraled into alcoholism, though he still maintained a quite balanced relationship with Walls. At age 17, Walls abandoned her poverty stricken life for New York City’s allure with her sister, where she she finally began to live.

The Glass Castle is a personal and somewhat depressing novel that follows a direct timeline of Walls’ early life.  From California to West Virginia, this novel takes the reader through her routine family life and schooling, complete with a  poverty stricken environment and somewhat negligent parents. It is eerily uplifting and full of sorrow and self-blame. Through the novel, Walls empathizes with both of her parents despite the neglect she faced for the first fifteen years of her life. This book brought me to tears and made me laugh in the early hours of the night. The words on the pages never let my eyes wander.