A gripping story that chronicles a young man's life from boyhood to his late teens. It is wonderful writing and very emotional. It is full of a pain and agony, it made cry and grind my teeth in anger throughout the hard times in his life. The human spirit and periodic happyness peaks through the sadness at times. I loved the book! ( )

Intriguing, bold, honest. This is a tale of Irish poverty, Catholic misunderstandings, and one boy's childhood in a world where no man is dependable. One of the most amazing autobiographies I have read, this book is somewhere between the traditional memoir and the historical biography. Filled with emotion and vivid imagery, this is the perfect read for anyone interested in Irish culture or what it was like to grow up in a country and family that has been torn apart. ( )

This book is in the top 3 of my favorites. It is a gripping biography that is told in the present and makes you feel as if you are there suffering along with him. From the mother who lived her own pain but still did all she could for her four children, to the children who suffered so much, to the father who drinks his life away. This book is a testimony to the human spirit. Frank McCourt lives through poverty, malnutrition, loss of siblings, shame and dispair and comes through it all with his sense of humor in tack. This book made me sad at times and happy at others and intrigued me from the first line. It is an exellent book and I recommend it 150%. ( )

Best memoir ever ( )

The Story

This story is the one of Frank McCourt’s, an Irish-American who was raised in Limerick, Ireland. It is his life story from his earliest memories in New York through his life in Ireland until he returns to America at age 19. His life was a remarkable one and I can’t imagine living through the hardships that he’s endured. He lived a childhood in extreme poverty and nearly died of typhoid fever. Frank suffers the loss of his twin brothers and little sister. Frank’s father is an alcoholic that causes his family to live in squalor as he spends any money he earns in the pub until it is gone.

Frank’s story in Angela’s Ashes is one that contains so many unbelievable hardships, yet at the same time the reader is amazed by his resilience and continued fight to make something of his life and return to America.

The Review

Lisa lent me this book and told me that it was one of her favorites. I can see why. I have since learned that Frank McCourt received the Pulitzer Prize (1997) and National Book Critics Circle Award (1996) for Angela’s Ashes. He is also the author of ‘Tis, which continues the story of his life, picking up from the end of the Angela’s Ashes and focusing on life in America, and Teacher Man about his challenges as a teacher with his students.

Reading this book was so overwhelming to me! Its tale was remarkable and I felt such a sense of gratefulness for the life that I’ve lived in comparison to Frank’s. I don’t know how it is that I had never heard of this book nor movie. To avoid spoilers for those who have not read this excellent book, I will instead share with you one of my favorite parts of the book. Frank has written a composition on the Lord entitled “Jesus and the Weather” for an assignment in school. He is instructed to read it aloud to the class.

“This is my composition. I don’t think Jesus Who is Our Lord would have liked the weather in Limerick because it’s always raining and the Shannon keeps the whole city damp. My father says the Shannon is a killer river because it killed my two brothers. When you look at pictures of Jesus, He’s always wandering around ancient Israel in a sheet. It never rains there and you never hear of anyone coughing or getting consumption or anything like that and no one has a job there because all they do is stand around and eat manna and shake their fists and go to crucifixions.

Anytime Jesus got hungry all He had to do was walk up the road to a fig tree or an orange tree and have His fill. If He wanted a pint He could wave His hand over a big glass and there was the pint. Or He could visit Mary Magdalene and her sister, Martha, and they’d give him a His dinner no questions asked and He’d get his feet washed and dried with Mary Magdalene’s hair while Martha washed the dishes, which I don’t think is fair. Why should she have to wash the dishes while her sister sits out there chatting away with our Lord? It’s a good thing Jesus decided to be born Jewish in that warm place because if he was born in Limerick he’d catch the consumption and be dead in a month and there wouldn’t be any Catholic Church and there wouldn’t be any Communion or Confirmation and we wouldn’t have to learn the catechism and write compositions about Him. The End.”

This book is written without quotation marks and is written in his true voice. There are many songs, poems and other such recitals within the book. There are so many endearing and wonderful things that Frank shares in the book that will stick within the confines of my mind for a lifetime. I only wish that I could meet him! What an amazing thing that would be.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

If you have not read this book, it needs to be added to your MUST READ list. This is a book that will enrich your spirit and make you feel so grateful for not only ever meal you eat, but for your health as well. It is simply an amazing book!

For the genre Non-Fiction:Memoir, I am going to rate this book a 10 OUT OF 10. ( )