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Born
Jeannette was born on April 21st, 1960 in Phoenix, Arizona where she lived until she was 3. -
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Jeannette Walls' Timeline
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Age 3
At the age of 3, Jeannette was cooking hotdogs one day when she severely burned herself. Not being able to pay for the hospital bills, her father grabbed her and ran out of the hospital. -
Age 4
On the way to Las Vegas, Jeannette's father (Rex) stopped at a bar and ended up drinking, smoking and driving simultaneously. On a sharp turn, Jeanette was flung from the car and became injured, but her father kept driving, seeming not to have noticed. After a while, he made a joke about her nose being a "snotlocker" (as a way of apologizing). Once in Vegas, Rex found a way to cheat in Blackjack and was able to support the family for 6 months before he was caught. -
Age 5
At age 5, Jeanette's family moved to Blythe, California. She attended school, where she was eager to read and learn, until she was inevitably bullied for it by her classmates. One day on her way home from school, Jeanette was bullied by a group of Mexican girls who beat her up. The next day they tried to attack her again, but her brother was able to fend them off for her. -
Age 5
The Walls were forced to move into an abandoned depot station, where the the kids had to sleep in refrigerator boxes. Jeannette enrolled in 2nd grade and earned money by collecting cans while Rex got a job at a mine. Animals gradually started occupying the Walls' residence, of which included cats, dogs, a coyote, a vulture, and a few lizards. -
Age 6
After Rex lost his job, the family was forced to starve, leading the kids to steal out of other children's lunches. Rex and Mary began to fight and Mary tried to kill herself by jumping out of a window, but Rex and the kids prevented it. Mary then got a job as a school teacher and hated it, but the kids loved her. -
Age 8
When Jeanette turned 8, her grandmother passed away, leaving Mary her house and inheritance money. The family moved back to Phoenix where Rex got a job. Lori got glasses for the first time, and the children got bicycles. -
Age 10
When Jeanette turned 10, she asked her dad to quit drinking. However, after a year he started drinking again, losing his job as a result. Mary then sold a plot of land in Texas that she inherited, so the family decided to move to West Virgina where Rex's family lived. -
Age 14
After years of tough living in their grandmother's house, the Walls got kicked out and ended up buying a house with a leaky roof and no indoor plumbing. Rex claimed this to be the future sight of the "Glass Castle." -
Age 17
When Jeannette was 17, Rex broke into the kids' piggy bank and stole a check from the land out in Texas to earn money through hustling. Lori graduated from high school and moved to New York to become a waitress. Jeannette began work at a jeweler's store and babysat in order to be able to spend her senior year in NY. -
Age 17
As she finished her junior year of high school, Jeannette moved to New York. She worked at a newspaper company and attended college through grants, loans, and being a secretary on Wall Street. Brian told Rex to stop drinking, and Lori kicked Mary out. They both slept in the van until it was eventually towed and they became homeless. -
Age 23
Jeanette graduated college, got married, and began her own column in a newspaper. Rex and Mary joined a house of squatters. Brian became a police officer and also got married. Maureen dropped out of college, moved into the squatters den, and stabbed Mary when she asked her to leave, resulting in Maureen moving to California. Shortly after, Rex died of a heart attack. Jeanette eventually left her husband Eric and married a man named John. -
Age 54
Jeannette Walls is currently an American author and journalist widely known as the former gossip columnist for MSNBC.com.
