I somehow started off this year with a series of books featuring seriously dysfunctional families. Perhaps the universe wanted me to appreciate my own weird little family a little more (mission accomplished, by the way). 
 This was a rather quick read, very engrossing in a car crash "can't-look-away" sort of way. Jeannette and her family (mom, dad, 3 siblings) live in a constant state of change. One week they'll be living in a trailer in Arizona, the next they're living outside in the desert under the stars. Some weeks they have money for food (sometimes even a well-rounded meal, but that seemed to be rare), other weeks they're digging food out of garbage cans or eating cat food. I basically kept reading to see if everyone would be able to survive the situation they would be in and then find myself shocked that the situation could get worse. I felt bad for these kids because they had to grow up rather quick to take over the jobs their parents so clearly could not/would not do. 
 Was this intriguing and an interesting read? Yes, absolutely. Did this change my life forever? Eh, not really. If you go into this looking to have your mind blown and learn several lessons, this is probably not the book for you. If nothing else, I took away some more appreciation for my family and my small but warm and leak free home growing up. 
 P.S.- Since I live in Phoenix, it was strange to see places and streets I know. I lived not far from Jeannette's grandmother's home on N 3rd St. and frequently passed St. Mary's on the bus into downtown Phoenix. It's a small world sometimes.