Gold Country Non-Fiction Mini-Retreat 2018

Come to Auburn, in California’s gold country, to explore The Glass Castle. This book is the memoir of Jeannette Walls, a personality on television channel MSNBC. Hers is a story of remarkable resilience. Her memoir reveals childhood secrets kept for 20 years. She tells hard truths about her nonconformist family and their nomadic struggles. She digs deep, describing the impact of a brilliant alcoholic father and a distracted mother. Hard experiences joined with unconditional love somehow gave her the confidence to break away at age 17 and take on New York City.

The story of Jeannette Walls is one of tenacity, intelligence, and affection. Her memoir appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list for 261 weeks. You can buy the paperback for $9.69 at amazon.com.

We’ll meet at the Pioneer United Methodist Church, 1338 Lincoln Way, Auburn. Please check-in between 9 and 9:30 on Saturday for coffee and to meet fellow readers. Our discussion begins at 10. Lunch will be catered on location and is included in the $25 registration fee.

After lunch we will watch the Lionsgate film of her book directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, starring Brie Larson as Jeannette, Woody Harrelson as her father, Rex, and Naomi Watts as Rose Mary, her mother.

"The richly built The Glass Castle—splendidly attentive to the details of the Walls's eclectic childhood home and elevated by Ella Anderson's performance as a young Jeannette—is on the overlong side, but it does right by a tough true story that begs neither contempt nor pity. Unlike the similarly themed Captain Fantastic, the film makes good on honoring the unexpected universality of even the most atypical families, embracing the crazy within them. It’s a movie with an emotionally stirring father-daughter story proudly at its core."--- from a review by Tomris Laffly in Time Out America.

May is an ideal time to visit Auburn. (No, that is not Auburn in the photo above. It is from the film.) Gardens are in bloom and hillsides are in spring green. Donna Reynolds, event registrar, will provide driving directions if you need them. She has recommendations for lodging and restaurants nearby. Bring your book and your thoughts on how Jeannette Walls achieved career success against tough odds.