I am reading Bastard out of Carolina right now and am very interested in what is happening. I have become more and more interested in studying families as this quarter has gone on and Bastard interests me because their are so many characters that all have their problems and different kinds of relationships with each other. I think the issue of alcoholism among working-class men is interesting, especially since I have a large working-class family with many uncles who like to drink beer, however I wouldn't say they have drinking problems. Of course, the most interesting character is Glen and why he is so screwed up. This book seems to raise the question of to what extent does a parent's treatment of a child affect them as they get older. Is Glen a child molester because his father doesn't live him like he should or just bc he is a pervert. I would go with the latter. Anyway, I think Bastard is a great book bc it seems to make the reader uneasy as they read on hoping that Glen doesn't strike again, or that Bone doesn't have to go back to living with him.