sounds like...

poor jeanette's parents could have been characters in a kerouac novel. did anyone else get the "on the road" vibe? I love that despite everything she recalls most of her childhood with fondness. She never sounds like she's whining. I'm really enjoying reading so far.

I will say, at points I have a hard time believing that her parents were such intelligent, artistic, and resourceful nomads (example, the scene at the public zoo). Does anyone else have trouble buying her story? I suppose many of my older memories are romantisized. Another memoir was recently recommended to me; it's about growing up on an unsuccessful commune with parents who took acid all day, every day. I wonder if the stories would be similar?

I like her writing style...not to wordy or fluffy. She doesn't make herself out to be the hero or the martyr which was something that worried me going into the book. I loved the chapters about the Joshua tree, The Prospector, and all of the rocks and creatures she discovers as a 6-7 year old. Her recollections remind me of my own childhood wonderment in the woods behind my house.

Danielle just started reading. She says that she hopes the story becomes more plot driven and less like a list of events that make the point, "my parents are so crazy!" I completely argree. Does anyone else find themselves frustrated at the lack of plot/over arching conflict? Still, I've been thinking about the author and why she might have chosen to write this book; if you had such an incredible story, wouldn't you want someone else to hear it? After going through so much it probably just feels good to tell everyone, to make it real. I wonder if she feels horribly exposed or if she feels like an enormous weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. I just pray that we don't have another "A Child Called IT" situation on our hands and find out later that she grew up in a nice house in the burbs and that her dad died in a car crash when she was 4 or something. I would definitly feel duped.

Thoughts?