The Glass Castle: 23 Discussion Questions & Activities

We’ve put together discussion questions for The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls that you can use with a book club, a class at school, or a team at work. We include sample answers, book club activities that will help you get more out of what you’ve read, and recommendations for more reading if you like this book.

Book Synopsis

The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeannette Walls about her unconventional and often chaotic upbringing. Walls recounts growing up with brilliant but deeply dysfunctional parents: her father Rex, an alcoholic dreamer who filled his children’s heads with grand plans (including building the titular “glass castle”), and her mother Rose Mary, a free-spirited artist who resisted responsibility. The family moved frequently across the American Southwest and Appalachia, often living in extreme poverty without basic necessities such as adequate food, heating, or plumbing.

Despite the neglect and instability, Walls describes moments of adventure and her parents’ unconventional lessons about self-reliance and resilience. As the children grew older, they eventually escaped to New York City to build better lives for themselves. The memoir grapples with Walls’s complicated feelings toward her parents—acknowledging both the harm their choices caused and the complex love she still felt for them. It’s ultimately a story about forgiveness, survival, and the lasting impact of family bonds, even when those bonds are deeply flawed.

Read Shortform’s comprehensive guide to this book.

The Glass Castle Discussion Questions & Sample Answers

Along with discussion questions for The Glass Castle, we include sample answers you can use as prompts.

1. How do you interpret the title “The Glass Castle” and its significance throughout the memoir?
   • Sample answer: I think the glass castle represents all of Rex’s broken promises—but also the hope and dreams he gave his kids. It’s this beautiful, impossible thing he kept promising to build. And, even though it never happened, it symbolized a better life they were always chasing. By the end, you realize it was never really about an actual building; it was about the idea that things could be better, which maybe helped them survive.
2. What did you think of Jeannette’s parents, Rex and Rose Mary? Did your opinion of them change as you read?
   • Sample answer: Oh, absolutely my opinion changed! At first I was just angry at them for being so neglectful. But, as the book went on, I saw them as more complicated. They’re still responsible for their choices, but I started to understand they had their own demons and genuinely believed in their lifestyle. I especially felt conflicted about Rex; he could be so charming and loving, but then his alcoholism would destroy everything. It’s complicated.
3. Why do you think Jeannette wrote this memoir? What do you think she hoped to accomplish?
   • Sample answer: I think she needed to tell her story honestly, without sugar-coating it but also without completely villainizing her parents. Maybe it was therapeutic for her, a way to process everything. I also got the sense she wanted people to understand that poverty and dysfunction are complex, that her parents weren’t just monsters, and that she could acknowledge the damage while still loving them. It feels like an act of both truth-telling and forgiveness.
4. What role does poverty play in the family’s dysfunction? Could things have been different if they’d had more money?
   • Sample answer: That’s tricky because they often had money—Rex would get jobs—but then he’d drink it away or Rose Mary would refuse to work even when they were starving. So, yes, poverty made everything harder, but their choices created a lot of their poverty. I think, even with money, Rex’s alcoholism and Rose Mary’s selfishness would have caused problems. But maybe with more resources, the kids wouldn’t have suffered as much physically, at least.
5. How did you feel about Rose Mary’s refusal to get a steady teaching job even when her children were starving?
   • Sample answer: That was one of the hardest parts for me to read. I mean, she had a teaching certificate and could have fed her kids, but she wanted to focus on her art instead. She called herself an “excitement addict” and seemed to think being responsible was beneath her. As a parent myself, I found that almost unforgivable. Your kids are hungry, and you won’t work because you don’t feel like it? That’s not being free-spirited; that’s being selfish.
6. What do you make of the children’s loyalty to their parents despite the neglect they experienced?
   • Sample answer: It’s heartbreaking but also very realistic. Kids love their parents almost unconditionally, especially when there are good moments mixed in with the bad. The Walls kids had adventures and were taught to be independent and resilient—that wasn’t all bad. Plus, they didn’t really know another way of life for a long time. Even as adults, breaking away from your parents emotionally is really hard, especially when they’ve shaped your entire worldview.
7. How does Jeannette’s relationship with her father evolve throughout the book?
   • Sample answer: It goes through so many phases. As a little girl, she absolutely adores him and believes he can do anything. Then, as she gets older and sees his alcoholism more clearly, she becomes disappointed and even disgusted. But there’s always this thread of love and hope that he’ll change. Even near the end of his life, she’s still connected to him emotionally. I think she never stopped wanting him to be the father he could have been.
8. What did you think of the “skedaddle” lifestyle—the constant moving and adventure?
   • Sample answer: From an outside perspective, it seems exciting in some ways, but really it was just unstable and harmful. The kids couldn’t build friendships or feel secure anywhere. Sure, Rex framed it as adventure, but really they were usually running from bills or the law. I think the kids tried to see it positively because they had no choice, but it robbed them of stability and safety. Though I suppose it did teach them adaptability.
9. How does Jeannette’s tone throughout the memoir affect your reading of the story?
   • Sample answer: Her matter-of-fact tone is really striking. She describes horrific things—like being on fire at three years old or nearly starving—without much drama or self-pity. At first I thought it made the story more powerful because you really feel the impact yourself, but sometimes I wondered if it was also a defense mechanism, like she couldn’t let herself feel the full weight of what happened. It definitely makes you work as a reader to process the emotions.
10. What do you think about the way Jeannette portrays herself in the memoir? Is she honest about her own flaws?
    • Sample answer: I think she’s pretty honest. She shows herself being ashamed of her parents, lying about her background, and struggling with guilt about leaving her parents behind while she succeeded. She doesn’t paint herself as a perfect victim or hero. I appreciated that she included moments where she was judgmental or conflicted, because it made her feel like a real person grappling with a complicated past.
11. Why do you think the children turned out so differently from their parents, especially given the “cycle of dysfunction” we often hear about?
    • Sample answer: I think it’s partly because they had each other and looked out for one another. They created their own little support system and decided together to escape and build better lives. Also, seeing their parents’ dysfunction up close maybe motivated them to do the opposite. Not every child of alcoholics becomes an alcoholic. Sometimes the pain is so great that you’re determined to break the cycle. Plus, they were smart and resilient, which helped.
12. What scene or moment in the book affected you most powerfully?
    • Sample answer: For me, it was when Jeannette was living in New York and saw her mother digging through garbage while she was on her way to a nice event. The contrast is so stark, and Jeannette’s shame and confusion are palpable. It really captured the complexity of her situation: She’d escaped and succeeded, but her mother chose to live that way and wouldn’t accept help. That mixture of guilt, frustration, and love was really powerful.
13. How did the book change or challenge your understanding of homelessness and poverty?
    • Sample answer: It definitely complicated things for me. I think we often assume homeless people just need resources and opportunities, but Rose Mary had both and chose to be homeless. That said, Rex’s alcoholism and their mental health issues also were factors. It reminded me that poverty has many causes and solutions aren’t one-size-fits-all. But I also don’t think the Walls parents represent all homeless people; their situation was unusual.
14. What do you think Rex and Rose Mary’s parents and childhoods were like? How might that have influenced them?
    • Sample answer: The book gives us some glimpses—Rex’s mother was apparently awful to him, and Rose Mary clearly had her own issues with her mother. I think they both had trauma they never dealt with, and they were probably raised by people who also had problems. That doesn’t excuse their choices, but it helps explain them. It makes you think about how dysfunction really can pass through generations if people don’t get help.
15. Is this book ultimately about forgiveness? Why or why not?
    • Sample answer: I think it’s more about acceptance than forgiveness, if that makes sense. Jeannette seems to accept her parents for who they were—flawed, complicated people who did love their children in their own broken way. I’m not sure she fully forgives them for the harm they caused, and I don’t think she has to. But she’s made peace with her past and can acknowledge both the good and the bad. That feels more nuanced than simple forgiveness.
16. What did you think of Jeannette’s siblings and their different ways of coping with their upbringing?
    • Sample answer: I loved that the siblings were so close and supported each other. Lori seems to have been the first to envision escape, Maureen struggled the most and ended up with serious problems, and Brian found his own path. It shows how the same environment affects people differently. The fact that they mostly stayed connected and helped each other get out was really touching. They basically raised each other.
17. How does education function in the book as a means of escape?
    • Sample answer: Education is clearly the ticket out for these kids. Despite their chaotic life, they were smart and loved reading and learning. Jeannette’s determination to go to college (and her siblings’ similar goals) gave them a path away from their parents’ lifestyle. It’s interesting because Rex and Rose Mary were both intelligent and valued learning in their own way, but they couldn’t or wouldn’t use it productively. Their kids took that gift and actually did something with it.
18. Do you think Jeannette’s writing style romanticizes her childhood in any way?
    • Sample answer: Maybe a little? Her tone is so even and sometimes even nostalgic about certain adventures and lessons. She does emphasize the freedom and self-reliance they learned, which could make it seem more positive than it was. But I think she’s also clear-eyed about the neglect and danger. It’s possible she needs to see some positives to make sense of her past. I don’t think she’s deliberately trying to make it seem better than it was; it’s just complicated.
19. What responsibility (if any) did the community or authorities have in this situation?
    • Sample answer: That’s a good question. There were definitely times when teachers or neighbors could see something was wrong, and occasionally someone did try to intervene. But it was a different era, and the family moved around so much. Also, the kids were taught to hide their situation and not trust authorities. I think today, hopefully, Child Protective Services would get involved sooner. But, even now, the system isn’t perfect and kids slip through the cracks.
20. After reading this book, what do you think makes a good parent?
    • Sample answer: This book really highlights that loving your children isn’t enough; you have to actually take care of them and put their needs first. Good parents provide safety, stability, food, and shelter before they pursue their own dreams or addictions. Rex and Rose Mary had moments of teaching their kids interesting things, but they failed at the basics. I think good parenting is about sacrifice and consistency and making your children feel secure and valued. The Walls parents did almost the opposite.

Book Club Activities for This Book

Discussing The Glass Castle can be just the beginning! Use these activities to get even more out of the book and create unforgettable experiences.

Activity 1: Mapping the Walls Family Journey

Create a visual map tracing the Walls family’s movements throughout the memoir:

1. Mark each location they lived (Arizona, California, Nevada, West Virginia, New York City, etc.), and note significant events that happened in each place.
2. For each location, write a brief description of the family’s living conditions, Rex’s employment status, and a memorable moment from that period. Use different colors or symbols to indicate positive experiences versus traumatic ones.

This activity helps readers see patterns in the family’s dysfunction and understand how their constant movement affected the children’s development. For group discussions, compare maps and discuss which locations seemed to offer the most hope or stability, and why certain places were particularly difficult for the family.

Activity 2: The Glass Castle Vision Board

Explore how Rex’s “glass castle” represented dreams, promises, and possibilities that never materialized:

1. Create your own board or written reflection exploring what the “glass castle” meant to different family members at different times. Divide your board or page into sections for each main character (Jeannette, Lori, Brian, Maureen, Rose Mary, and Rex).
2. For each person, represent what you think their version of the glass castle—their dream or hope—might have been. How did those dreams change over time?
3. Reflect on your own “glass castles”—dreams or promises from childhood that shaped you, whether they came true or not.

In a group setting, share these boards and discuss how unfulfilled promises affect us and whether there’s value in impossible dreams.

Activity 3: Rewriting a Scene from Another Perspective

Choose a significant scene from the book, and rewrite it from a different character’s perspective. Examples:

• The moment when young Jeannette catches fire from Rose Mary’s point of view
• The family’s arrival in Welch from Grandma Erma’s perspective
• The New York reunion from Lori’s viewpoint

This exercise encourages readers to think more deeply about the motivations and inner lives of other family members who might not have gotten as much attention in Jeannette’s narrative. It also prompts consideration of how memoir is inherently subjective—this is Jeannette’s experience, but other family members might remember events differently. In a group, share these alternative perspectives and discuss how they change or deepen your understanding of the original scenes and the family dynamics.

If You Like The Glass Castle

If you want to read more books like The Glass Castle, check out these titles:

• Educated—This memoir by Tara Westover shares striking similarities with The Glass Castle in its portrayal of a deeply dysfunctional family and a daughter’s eventual escape through education. Westover grew up in rural Idaho with survivalist parents who refused to send their children to school or seek medical care, even after serious injuries. Like Jeannette Walls, Westover writes about loving but harmful parents, the complexity of family loyalty, and the psychological difficulty of leaving your family behind to build a different life. The book explores similar themes of resilience, the transformative power of education, and the painful process of reconciling your past with your present. Readers who appreciated Walls’s honest, unsentimental tone will find Westover’s writing similarly compelling and clear-eyed.
  • Shortform’s comprehensive guide to this book
  • Discussion questions and activities for this book
• The Liars’ Club—Mary Karr’s memoir about growing up in an East Texas refinery town with an alcoholic father and a wildly unstable mother will resonate with fans of The Glass Castle. Karr writes with dark humor and honesty about poverty, dysfunction, and childhood trauma—while also capturing moments of love and the strange resilience children develop in chaotic households. Like Walls, Karr refuses to portray herself simply as a victim or her parents as monsters; they’re complicated people who both harmed and shaped her. The writing is vivid and literary, and Karr’s ability to find meaning and even occasional beauty in a troubled childhood mirrors Walls’s approach to her own story.
• Running With Scissors—Though more darkly comedic in tone, Augusten Burroughs’s memoir about his surreal and troubled adolescence shares thematic ground with The Glass Castle. After his mother (a delusional, aspiring poet) suffers a breakdown, Burroughs is sent to live with her psychiatrist’s bizarre and deeply dysfunctional family, where he experiences severe neglect and abuse. Like Walls, Burroughs writes about adults who prioritize their own desires over children’s welfare, the absurd situations that arise from parental abdication, and the long journey toward understanding and processing a chaotic upbringing. Readers who were struck by Rose Mary’s artistic selfishness and the surreal quality of some Walls family episodes will find similar elements here, though Burroughs leans more heavily into dark humor as a coping mechanism.

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