The Glass Castle Needs to be Destroyed
You like books right? Yeah, me too! Have you ever had a book that you did not think was
appropriate to be reading in your high school curriculum? Well, Jeanette Wall’s book, The Glass
Castle should not be in high school required reading. This book is a good read do not get me
wrong, but there are also other literary values that can be achieved through the reading of this
book. The question of this book maintaining a spot in the curriculum is not if it is challenging
enough for a freshman high school student, but rather is it appropriate for a student audience.
Though the book has things such as an on-level Lexile score, and challenging uses of rhetorical
devices, there are also things that may have people saying no, such as the hard-lived accounts
contained in this book of sexual abuse and casual profanity, one could argue that this
happening as a first-hand account could be a positive thing for freshman .
Profanity included in this book is unsuitable, even for the teenagers, be a required read
in the high school curriculum. Although there are lots of books with profanity, along with the
discussions of sexual abuse and extreme poverty The Glass Castle quickly reaches an
inappropriate level. Throughout the book there are many references to sexual abuse, and while
Wallace does not directly say what happens, the meaning is implied. One incident includes a
family member. No high school student should be exposed to this kind of reading, especially
not when being forced to read.
According to “Too Dumb for Complex Texts?”(Bauerlein) the gap between college ready
and not students, is widening. More and more students are being forced to take remedial level
college classes in reading and writing just to bring their comprehension and writing levels up to
college standards. While it is understandable why teachers would choose to add in less complex
texts in order to cushion the blow of more difficult reading, this is only hurting the students.
The Glass Castle offers little to no challenge. The book is written in a very simplistic manner,
utilizing only low level vocabulary and basic rhetorical devices. By adding this book to the
curriculum, the gap would only be further widened.
The Glass Castle is a well written, detailed account of a young girl’s life as she struggles
with her parents decisions that lead her family into extreme poverty. Walls touches on subjects
no one wants to deal with. Some people may consider the few areas in this book containing
anti-Christian views as blasphemous. Parts in the book such as were he took his daughter
“demon hunting” or parts like” Dad had satisfied grin on his face. ‘And Jesus H. Christ is the
world’s best-loved bastard!”(That Blogger Guy – MY THOUGHTS ARE FREE: Rex Walls Style)
Parents that find out about this blasphemy are not going to willingly let their children read the
book. So to just altogether avoid the problem the book needs to be taken out of the curriculum.
. In summary, with all of the crude accounts and horrible language this story, which by
many is, considered filth. On top of that, there is nearly no challenge to reading this book. This
book needs to have a readjusted level or be taken out completely. Though it is a good book
from a personal standpoint, it is not so much from a literary standpoint. Take it out.
Citations:

Baldassarro, Wolf R. "Banned Books Awareness." Banned Books Awareness. Social Change, n.d. Web. 23
Oct. 2013

"AP Language/Composition Summer Reading List." Https://www.google.com/. N.p., n.d. Web.
<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CD4QFjAC&url
=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cobbk12.org%2Fsprayberry%2FSummer%2520Reading%2FAP%2520lang
%2520with%2520summaries.doc&ei=mrhnUoyMIMMkAeh9IHABA&usg=AFQjCNHVebf7QPmh7gUCeADlhlDJlT6K2w&sig2=IrS3h_ASqQymOKClRocbS
w&bvm=bv.55123115,d.eW0>.

Bauerlein, Mark. "Too Dumb for Complex Test?" Educational Leadership:Teaching
Screenagers:Too Dumb for Complex Texts? N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Oct. 2013.

"My Thoughts Are Free: RELIGION - Rex Walls-style." Web log post. My Thoughts Are Free: RELIGION - Rex Walls-style. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.