Walls has openly mused that despite the pain and suffering that drove her to leave home when she was 17 to put herself through college, she likely developed the self-reliance and whip-smart brainpower to become a successful writer because of the way she was raised, rather than in spite of it. The manner in which she portrays her father is often very affectionate, even when as an adult, she found herself denying the existence of her parents, who were living in New York City as homeless squatters. The family moved constantly, fleeing bill collectors and landlords, their living conditions growing steadily worse until they eventually wound up in a rotting old house without electricity or running water.Īll of the Walls children suffered various physical and mental problems as a result of an upbringing that could best be described as “awful,” and yet, Walls’ memoir isn’t bitter. Walls' father, Rex, was a charming, intelligent alcoholic who was also likely suffering from an undiagnosed bipolar disorder her mother Mary Rose is a self-described “excitement addict” who often neglected her children to focus on her painting. Finally, Brie Larson took on the role, reuniting with her Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton for an adaptation that also starred Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson.Ĭonsidering the story of her often hellish and always unusual childhood, it's no wonder there were challenges in adapting Walls’ memoir.

Later Jennifer Lawrence signed on to star and produce, but that project never made it to the finish line either. Early on, Claire Danes had been attached to star but dropped out.

While it seemed obvious that a movie version would hit screens shortly after the film rights sold in 2007, the project proved elusive.

Published in 2005, the book was a runaway bestseller that's sold more than 5 million copies and was on The New York Times Bestseller List for more than five years.

Released August 11, 2017, the film adaptation of Jeanette Walls’ memoir, 'The Glass Castle' took a circuitous road before reaching theaters.

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