Joshua Safran

Here's the male version of "Glass Castles", with all the back-to-the-land glorification of rural poverty by idiotic counterculture-enslaved adults. However, this memoir has a terrifying twist of domestic violence.

My primary question with this and other variations on this theme are: WHERE ARE THE GROWNUPS and WHY DIDN'T YOUR PARENTS USE BIRTH CONTROL? I guess under the umbrella of white privilege, the abuse and neglect of Joshua Safran by his mother is even more heinous. His mother Claudia could have AT ANY TIME awakened from her selfish dream of being a hippie princess and acted like a good parent. She could have gotten an education, a job, a real place to live instead of a shack on a stump. Her mother, who seemed to have only amused contempt for her daughter and complete disinterest in the well-being of her grandson, steps in only to provide loans for insane ventures of Claudia and her myriad partners.

So Joshua grows up shivering in unheated plywood jerry-rigged structures to the sound of his mother enjoying every man who wanders by and shows the slightest interest in having sex with her.

Eventually he becomes interested in his Jewish heritage, goes to college and to Israel, marries and has children. He breaks the cycle of misery that the adults in his life forced upon him. He even reconciles with his mother (WHY??)and she moves to be closer to his family, although she still needs a forest nearby for escape.

The one adult in his life who truly cared for Josh, Tony, was unable to convince Claudia to relinquish responsibility for Joshua. He is the only adult with any redeeming qualities. The worst of the serial monogamies is Leopoldo, a hired gun for the Sandinistas who beats Claudia brutally for years, even on the eve of their wedding. Claudia marries him anyway and stays with him. This is unforgivable.

This book is a nauseating and painful read. Joshua claims that his mother worked with him on every page of the book. She deserves nothing from him. His ability to forgive her is supernatural and unwarranted. Until she finally apologizes, her attitude is "I never knew it affected you that much." Such shameful self absorption!… (altro)