Mary M. (doublem) reviewed on 6/4/2014 + 2 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This was an interesting and horrifying read; Jeanette Walls' parents never matured beyond their own childhoods and did not have the tools to raise one child, much less four. The fact that at least three of the siblings succeeded, on their own, is amazing.

I would have rated this book five stars except for obvious discrepancies: Rose Mary Smith Walls inherited properties in the States of Arizona and Texas, and apparently never paid taxes on those properties, nor did she pay income taxes on the oil revenues which she received for production on the Texas lands. That being the case, the State, County and local taxing authorities would have placed tax liens thereon and they would have been sold to satisfy those tax liens.

Further, if Rose Mary did not pay her income taxes on the oil revenues, the IRS would have filed a Federal Tax Lien on the property and sold it for those taxes. (This assumes her brother, Jim, did not pay her share of the property taxes, and, of course, he could not pay her income taxes.)

So how did she retain title to the properties when she apparently never paid any kind of taxes?

This was a good read, but will not be on my re-read list.

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