What are good book club discussion questions for The Glass Castle?

Spoiler-free questions to get the conversation going: What is a small comfort (a snack, a blanket, a song) you reached for while reading this one?; Was there a scene early on that made you want to call someone in your family? Who, and why?; Jeannette finds wonder in the smallest things. What is a tiny, ordinary thing from your own childhood that felt magical at the time?; The Walls kids look out for each other in their own quiet ways. Who in your life has been a sibling-like protector, and how did that feel?; Rex's 'Glass Castle' promise stayed with many readers. What is a hopeful story or dream a grown-up in your life once told you, and how do you carry it now?.

What food and drinks should I serve at a The Glass Castle book club?

Food: Slow-simmered pot of chili with cornbread, Buttered biscuits with honey and jam, and Skillet apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. Drinks: Spiced apple cider, warm on the stove, Honey chamomile tea, and Bourbon hot toddy.

How do I host a The Glass Castle book club night?

Jeannette Walls's memoir of a chaotic, nomadic childhood is unforgettable, tender, and full of fierce family love. It is the kind of book that begs to be unpacked over warm mugs and second helpings.

The Glass Castle Book Club Questions, Food & Host Guide

Warm-up questions

1 What is a small comfort (a snack, a blanket, a song) you reached for while reading this one?
2 Was there a scene early on that made you want to call someone in your family? Who, and why?

Digging in

1 Jeannette finds wonder in the smallest things. What is a tiny, ordinary thing from your own childhood that felt magical at the time?
2 The Walls kids look out for each other in their own quiet ways. Who in your life has been a sibling-like protector, and how did that feel?
3 Rex's 'Glass Castle' promise stayed with many readers. What is a hopeful story or dream a grown-up in your life once told you, and how do you carry it now?
4 There are moments of real warmth tucked inside hard times. Which scene comforted you most, even unexpectedly?

Going deep

1 Jeannette writes about her parents with so much tenderness alongside the hurt. How did the book sit with you emotionally by the last pages, and what feelings lingered the next morning?
2 Memoir asks us to hold love and disappointment at the same time. Did reading this shift how you think about forgiving or understanding people in your own life? No need to share more than feels good.

On the table

Slow-simmered pot of chili with cornbread

Hearty, humble, Appalachian-leaning comfort that feeds a crowd with little fuss

Buttered biscuits with honey and jam

A nod to the rural Southern stretches of Jeannette's childhood, warm and nurturing

Skillet apple crisp with vanilla ice cream

Sweet, homey, and the kind of dessert that invites a second helping and a long conversation

To sip

Spiced apple cider, warm on the stove No alcohol

Cozy and crowd-friendly, evokes desert nights and mountain mornings

Honey chamomile tea No alcohol

Gentle and soothing for a memoir that asks a lot of the heart

Bourbon hot toddy

A grown-up wink to a story shadowed by Rex's drinking, kept warm and small

warm Americana and acoustic folk, like a porch light left on for you

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