Jeannette Walls is an American author, journalist, and former gossip columnist. She was born on April 21, 1960, in Phoenix, Arizona, and is best known for her memoir "The Glass Castle," which was published in 2005. The book chronicles her childhood, which was marked by poverty, neglect, and her parents' unconventional lifestyle. "The Glass Castle" became a bestseller and was adapted into a film in 2017. Walls has also written several other books, including "Half Broke Horses" and "The Silver Star."