Characters
The full name (first and last) of the main character of the book.
Who is Jeannette Walls?
To the best of her memory, JW was doing this when she got severely burned at the age of three.
What is cooking hotdogs?
The family's dream is to eventually make it rich and build this thing, which often represents their ambitions and goals.
Rex is prone to spend his money on these two hobbies/items of his own.
What is gambling and drinking alcohol?
JW's reaction to fire after being burned by it was this.
What is becoming fascinated by fire?
The character who took JW to their house to show her their drunk father, saying he is just like Rex.
Who is Billy?
The Wall's leave Battle Mountain for Phoenix because of this.
What are legal troubles after the shootout with Billy?
The name of the machine Rex keeps talking about building to help them find gold.
What is the Prospector?
This is the most common reason for the Walls family always moving.
What is money/Rex losing his job?
Rose and Rex held these jobs while living at Battle Mountain.
What is a teacher and a miner?
This sibling of JW's wasn't given a name until several weeks after being born.
Who is Maureen?
The gift that Rex gave his children for Christmas while they were in Midland was this.
What are stars?
Before leaving for Phoenix, Rex tells JW she can bring one of these with them.
What is a rock (from her rock collection)?
Rose Walls rarely cooks for her children, saying that she sees no point to because of this.
Why spend an hour cooking a meal that won't last an evening when you could paint something that will last a lifetime?
JW says she never believed in this around Christmas time.
Who is Santa Clause?
This teacher was fired after bringing a loaded gun to school.
Who is Miss Page?
This is how the children traveled to Battle Mountain.
What is in the back of a U-Haul?
JW's nurse gave her this food item in the hospital that she'd never had before.
What is chewing gum?
Rex was known to discipline his children when they talked back to him or disobeyed a direct order in this way.
What is whipping them with his belt?
Rose claims that she was pregnant with Maureen for this long.
The name of Rex's "friend" from the Green Lantern that Brian gave his comic book to.
Who is Ginger?
The argument about how long Rose was pregnant with Maureen resulted in this.
What is Rex chasing Rose with the family car?
The object that Billy gave JW.
What is his mother's ring?
Rex says this to JW when teaching her how to swim.
What is "Sink or swim?"
This object, which personifies JW's life, was painted by Rose in the desert.
What is a Joshua tree?