This is a memoir. This is the story of someone's actual life. How do I rate that? I can't. I cannot rate the story of someone's life. Weird? Maybe, but something inside me refuses to do it. 
 I'll say this much: If I were to rate it based on writing and 'story,' it would get five stars. 
 Jeannette Walls's memoir is heart-breaking, exciting, and well-written. 
 What else to say? 
 I honestly felt enraged at the neglect that her parents showed her and her siblings. To not take care of your kids... is anything more criminal? 
 Yet at times, I could even understand where her parents meant. I'm not sure I love the government, or the way society works. It's all right to have opinions, but parents shouldn't let their kids go hungry because they're so against society that they refuse to live stably and provide for their children. 
 By the end of the book, I had a lot of respect for Jeannette and her siblings. The way they managed to overcome their circumstances and difficult childhood situation, was uplifting. There are so many stories where people do not overcome; it was wonderful to read a real life tale where the children do overcome their trials and made a way for themselves. 
 This book... It was something that I needed to read. It's hard, but it's very good. I tip my hat to Mrs. Walls. I do.