I should have written this a month ago when I finished the book, but life got in the way.
I was surprised by this choice coming from Jen as much as I was by Jeanette's ability to grow into a "normal" contributing member of society. Coming from her background she could have easily melded into someone who was stuck in the same place, with no goals, no future, and completed the cycle of life her parents were creating for her.
I read this book while in New York so I had made my judgments on the homeless population and decided that there are too kinds of people. People who are trying to make the best out of a helpless situation, and those who feed off of the charity of others because they either have no ambition or drive.
Her parents did not fit into either mold. They chose to live that way because living any other way seemed crazy. I became so frustrated with her mother not giving up a diamond ring they found while her children starved, or eating a candy bar and hiding it from the family. I can't look at a jar of pickles the same way because of Brian.
She really did have to be like a mountain goat, clinging for dear life to the cliffs until she finally reached the top. It made me realize things I thought were bad or screwed up were a cake walk compared to what some people go through.
