I've never read the book, although it
was on my list of books I eventually wanted to read since I've enjoyed some memoirs I've read in the past, and since--get this--I'm a high school teacher, and I noticed this past year that many of the students were reading it--perhaps as required reading in one of their English classes!
I remember seeing one girl carrying the book out of a classroom (she wasn't my student), and I asked her how the book was. She said it was sort of weird, but that it "makes you feel very blessed." (I guess because the author supposedly had it so rough.)
I feel bad for this family. I wonder how much of it was based in truth and how much of it was completely fabricated?