Bibliography
editAnnotated Bibliography
Bartkevicius, Jocelyn. Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction, vol. 8, no. 1, 2006, pp. 150–152. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41938857
Professor Jocelyn Bartkevicius writes a primarily positive review of The Glass Castle, and also delves into how Jeannette Walls journalistic career has influenced the way she wrote her memoir. Bartkevicius praises Walls for her ability to not devolve into “bathos and blame” and how she maintains a “balanced view” of the positives and negatives of her childhood. She does criticize Walls for idealizing her past experiences to the extent that “the child herself seems to be missing” since the child point of view is “less real and vivid than her parents.” This may be used as a review in the Wikipedia article.
Bell-Russel, Danna. “Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle.” Library Journal (1976), vol. 130, no. 18, Library Journals, LLC, 2005, p. 127.
Educational Outreach Specialist at the Library of Congress Danna Bell-Russel promotes the memoir of its potentially upsetting content by stating that “though gritty and graphic, this excellent book should be a part of all library collections.” This is an important review because Bell-Russel should be considered an important gatekeeper of literature and her opinion should be recognized. This may also help inform the reception section.
Bender, Melissa. “Dysfunctional Family Values: United States Memoir in the Neoliberal Age.” Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 51, no. 2, WILEY, 2018, pp. 534–49, doi:10.1111/jpcu.12654.
“While family dysfunction memoirs present opportunities to read against the grain of neoliberalism's family values, they ultimately reinforce the notions that diligent, autonomous individuals will succeed regardless of their original circumstances and that the only barriers to success lie within the internal landscape.” This is one of the most important quotes in Bender’s article (it will not be directly quoted in the Wikipedia article). Assistant Director for the Writing Across the Curriculum program Melissa Bender both criticized and praised the use of The Glass Castle in school as the narrative. It can be used as a pedagogical tool but is often taught without addressing the “ larger socioeconomic factors that may have contributed to the poverty of their hometowns.” This can be used in both the reception section and potential analysis section where themes within the memoir will be discussed.
“Book by Jeannette Walls.” Simon & Schuster, Scribner, www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Glass-Castle/Jeannette-Walls/9781439156964.
This website is the publisher of The Glass Castle and provides a list of additional reviews and awards. Although it is unlikely that I cite this article directly, it provides a stepping stone into acquiring additional material for the reception and awards sections in the Wikipedia article.
Chana, Jas. “After Parents Censor, Student Drafts Petition In Defense of 'Glass Castle'.” National Coalition Against Censorship, 27 June 2016, ncac.org/news/blog/after-parents-censor-student-drafts-petition-in-defense-of-glass-castle.
This post examines West Allegheny High School in Pennsylvania's lack of response to the NCAC’s letter which explains why it should not be censored. It then follows that a student, Renae Roscart, drafted a petition (which was signed by over 200 students) to provide pressure from the bottom up, explaining how the school may think they are trying to “protect the children” while in reality they are “sheltering them and making them ignorant to issues that actually plague our society and are relevant right now.” This will go under the reception section in response to the censorship done on behalf of parents and schools.
Doyle, Robert. “Books Challenged or Banned, 2012-2013.” International Literacy Association, 2012, p. 8, https://www.ila.org/content/documents/bbw_2013_short.pdf.
In this annotated bibliography, it explains the challenges that have been documented in regards to having The Glass Castle be banned/censored. It notes that it was removed from curricula in Traverse City, Mich. at West Senior High School in 2012, but has since been returned. The challenges that it has faced is due to its inclusion of “ explicit language and references to child molestation, adolescent sexual exploits, and violence.” It was also challenged in McPherson, Kans. High School pre-AP English freshman class. These are two important moments of the book's history (and banned books history) as there was no appeal to the decisions to allow the book to remain in the curriculum. This can be used for the reception section.
Garner, Jennifer. “Appalachia and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.” National Geographic Education Blog, 18 Sept. 2017, blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2017/09/26/appalachia-and-the-glass-castle-by-jeannette-walls/.
Atlanta high school teacher Jennifer Garner writes about how Walls addresses the harmful stereotypes associated with the Appalachia region. She also goes on to discuss how banning a memoir is harmful to students because it denies “students exposure to a story of someone who walked in their shoes, persevered and succeeded is heartbreaking.” This can be include in either analysis or reception as it addresses a prominent theme in the book and why it is important that it not be banned.
“The Glass Castle.” Kirkus Reviews, Scribner, 15 Dec. 2004, www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jeannette-walls/the-glass-castle/.
A 2004 Kirkus Reviews article gave The Glass Castle a positive review, noting that “Walls’s journalistic bare-bones style makes for a chilling, wrenching, incredible testimony of childhood neglect. A pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps, thoroughly American story.” This review will be included in the reception section of the Wikipedia article.
“The Glass Castle: A Memoir.” Indiebound.org, www.indiebound.org/book/9780743247542/Jeannette-Walls/Glass-Castle.
Similar to the “Simon & Schuster” website, this page dedicates a large portion of space to praise The Glass Castle has received. IndieBound provides its readers with a positive review of the memoir, stating: “The Glass Castle is truly astonishing—a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.”
“That's My Mom. The Last Time I Saw Her, She Was Rummaging through the Trash for Food.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 5 Apr. 2005, www.theguardian.com/books/2005/apr/03/biography.features.
In The Guardian, Jeannette Walls offers a brief glimpse into why she wrote the book: “When I sat down to write about my life, I found that amid the tales of stolen grocery money and doing the skedaddle in the middle of the night to outrun the bill collectors were stories of optimism, perseverance and familial love that I had all but forgotten. The result has been The Glass Castle.” Reading through this it is hard to differentiate between the first Chapter of the book and her own personal statements. This may not be something to quote, but will provide important key themes into what she thought the stories held. This may be used as a review in the Wikipedia article.
Zuckerman, Josh. “NCAC Defends the Glass Castle over Concerns of 'Disturbing' Content; UPDATE: Review Committee Votes in Favor of Keeping the Book.” National Coalition Against Censorship, 17 Feb. 2017, ncac.org/news/blog/wisconsin-parent-challenges-the-glass-castle-calls-it-explicit-and-disturbing.
This is the final update done by the NCAC in response to The Glass Castle being censored in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The committee reviewing whether the memoir should be censored, Marshfield school's Curriculum and Instruction Committee, voted unanimously to allow it to be a part of the English curriculum. NCAC is encouraged by this decision. This can be used as the final update to the censorship controversy which will be addressed in the reception section of the Wikipedia article.
This is where you will compile the bibliography for your Wikipedia assignment. Please refer to the following resources for help: