Angela’s Ashes by Frank
McCourt
This book was recommended to me
by my English teacher, and it was one of the best books I have read. The three
books Angela’s Ashes, ‘Tis, and Teacher Man are Frank McCourt’s memoirs
that describe his life-struggles from begging for food in Ireland to moving to America
and becoming an English teacher. The book
was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1997.
Angela’s Ashes depicts
McCourt’s childhood in Limerick living in an impoverished one-room apartment with his mother, a number of siblings ( most
of which die at some point) and a father who is a drunk and who rarely brings any
money home to feed his family. The book is capturing because it is written from
a child’s perspective with all the silly wonderings and questions we have had
as children, some of which we never dared to ask adults and so they remained
unanswered, but nevertheless questions which expose the irony and hypocrisy of
adults around us and “their “ world. McCourt’s narrative style is straightforward
which makes the book easily-read, but at the same time it is multi-layered
since it contains many witty comments and observations.
But besides being
interesting because it reveals a whole new world to us: a different culture, a different mentality and
such poverty and non-human
conditions most of us could never imagine living in, what makes this book
truly exceptional is knowing that these are real people, that these were
their real lives, and , most importantly, that Frank McCourt survived.
Therefore, if you have got a
day or two with nothing to do, go to your nearest library, pick up Angela’s Ashes and read it. I promise
you won’t regret it.
