Jeannette Walls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeannette Walls
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Walls in 2009
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| Born | April 21, 1960 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, columnist |
| Education | Barnard College |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
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Jeannette Walls (born April 21, 1960) is an American writer and journalist. She is well-known for her book The Glass Castle. This book is a true story about her childhood, where her family moved around a lot. It was published in 2005 and stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for a very long time. Jeannette Walls has also won awards like the Alex Award and the Christopher Award.
Contents
Growing Up and School
Jeannette Walls was born on April 21, 1960, in Phoenix, Arizona. Her parents were Rex and Rose Mary Walls. She has two sisters, Lori and Maureen, and one brother, Brian. Her family moved many times, living in different places like Phoenix, California, Battle Mountain, Nevada, and Welch, West Virginia. Sometimes, they didn't have a permanent home. When they settled in Welch, West Virginia, they lived in a small house without running water or heat.
When Jeannette was 17, she moved to New York City. Her sister Lori was already there. Jeannette worked hard and got help with money to go to college. She studied at Barnard College and graduated with honors in 1984.
Jeannette's Career as a Writer
Early in her career, Jeannette Walls worked at a newspaper in Brooklyn. She became a full-time reporter there. Later, she wrote for New York magazine from 1987 to 1993. She also wrote for Esquire magazine and contributed to a news column called "Scoop" at MSNBC.com. She left MSNBC in 2007 to focus on writing books. Jeannette has also written for USA Today and appeared on TV shows like The Today Show and CNN.
In 2000, she wrote a book called Dish: The Inside Story on the World of Gossip. It was a funny look at how gossip has been part of media and life in the U.S.
The Glass Castle
In 2005, Jeannette Walls published her most famous book, The Glass Castle. This book is a memoir, which means it's a true story about her own life. It shares the happy and challenging parts of her childhood. The book was very popular and sold over 4 million copies. It has been translated into 31 languages around the world. The Glass Castle won several awards, including the Christopher Award and the American Library Association's Alex Award.
The book was made into a movie in 2017. At first, Jennifer Lawrence was going to play Jeannette, but later Brie Larson took on the role. The movie was released in theaters in 2017.
Other Books
In 2009, Jeannette Walls wrote her first novel, Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel. This book is based on the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. The New York Times Book Review named it one of the ten best books of 2009.
Her second novel, The Silver Star, was published in 2013. Her third novel, Hang the Moon, came out in March 2023. Critics really liked Hang the Moon. The Washington Post said the book has many exciting twists and turns. They also noted that Jeannette Walls writes about "people with dreams and vulnerabilities, tough folk in rough situations."
Personal Life
Jeannette Walls married Eric Goldberg in 1988, but they divorced in 1996. In 2002, she married John J. Taylor, who was also a writer for New York magazine. They now live on a farm outside Culpeper, Virginia.
See also
In Spanish: Jeannette Walls para niños
