Half-Broke Horses

In her true-life novel, Half Broke Horses, Jeannette Walls returns to tell us the compelling story of her grandmother. Certainly a spunky heroine, Lily Casey Smith grew up in a sod house, learned to break horses with her father as a six-year-old, became a school teacher, a bootlegger, a rancher, and learned to drive a car and fly an airplane. In all respects, Lily was a no-nonsense, hard working woman who persevered despite a cheating first husband, the sudden loss of her sister, the struggle to finish her education, droughts, and the financial setbacks of the Great Depression. This fascinating story was a delight to read and gave an interesting perspective to Lily's daughter Rosemary, who became Jeannette's mother in The Glass Castle.