How do you reconcile a childhood of, what many would deem, pure neglect? For Jeannette Walls, you write a memoir that recounts her past with amazingly little malice. She spins a tale of abandonment in such a manner that the reader is surprisingly drawn to her family. The book opens with a 3 year old cooking a hotdog on the stove; it ends horrifically. This episode sets the tone, yet it is told without judgment. It tells a story of a family of children that persevered under the most difficult of circumstances. They learned to survive, love, and grow on their own, without the framework of a supportive family to lead them.