Rating: 
Summary: Even Better than "A Monk Swimming" - - Much Better
Review: Malachy McCourt's first book, "A Monk Swimming," was very, very enjoyable, but clearly, Malachy learned from the experience of writing it, and "Singing My Him Song" is even better. It begins approximately where "A Monk Swimming" leaves off. Malachy meets his second-wife-to-be, Diana, and her lovely but retarded daughter, and, now in his mid-thirties, he begins the slow process of growing up. It is much more difficult to grow up after one's mid-thirties, because the additional fifteen to twenty years of childhood in an adult body has created many more bad habits, more firmly established.As in "A Monk Swimming," Malachy tells it like it was, omitting little or none of the things he is less than proud of. Sometimes sad, sometimes very funny, this is the story of a man overcoming the lessons of his dysfunctional birth-family and finally co-creating a functional, loving blended family. It is a joy and an inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: Not one wrong note in this book!
Review: Malachy reveals a humble,contrite witty side of himself as he describes his journey from drunken libertine to sober, caring father and husband. Whether letting us know what it's like to be a welfare recipient or the father of a trouble young man, the author pulls no punches. Very different from A Monk Swimming!
Rating: 
Summary: Totally Unexpected¿
Review: Not only was I prepared not to like this book, I knew with certainty it would dwell near the bottom of the books I had read this year. The Brothers McCourt had produced a quartet of books, and I was sure this was just a volume to ride the Frank McCourt wave for all it was worth. I was wrong, I was wrong huge, Orca huge! (A nod to Kevin Spacey). Of the 4 books offered thus far, this is easily the better of the 2 from Mr. Malachy McCourt, and second only to, "Angela's Ashes". Judging by the ranking of the book, and the comparatively few reviews, perhaps I was not alone in my error. This second work from this Author starts and is unremarkable. His life at the beginning of the narration is afflicted with every complaint a reader would expect. When the end of the book arrives you have shared a long, painful, and brutally honest assessment of a life by the man who lived it. I don't know that I have read an autobiographical work that is more personal, pointed, and candid. This man transforms himself from bitter, angry, and sick, whose solace is found in a variety of chemicals, to a man who comes to terms with his life, and changes its course. The book is not a fairy tale. The man at the end is one you would likely be as fond of, as the younger version would have repelled you. There are some remarkable stories within this man's life. A Daughter who is handicapped, the system that she enters that would be the delight of The Marquis De Sade, and a then young reporter, who helped change the system, and is a household name today. Mr. McCourt takes a trip cross country, and tends to a mouse that has found a spot to hitchhike its way to The West Coast in a small hole in the auto. There is the encounter that he and his wife have with one of the more notorious murderers of the 20th Century prior to his crimes. And there are dozens more. This book has a great deal of the wit this man is known for, however to describe this work as humorous or funny would be way off the mark. This was a man who was angry, who marched when it was unpopular to do so, he even had the tapes of one of his radio programs confiscated by The Secret Service, after The Saturday Night Massacre of Nixon fame. To say Mr. McCourt has lived a full life would illicit from him a quip about the wildest form of understatement. He is unique, a one time original. How else do you describe a man who tried to divert the minds of passengers in the midst of skimming the Atlantic Ocean because a door was insecure, by asking if the other passengers would like to meet his Mother? The most normal of questions except when uttered by Mr. McCourt, who when the passengers agreed, produced the ashes of his deceased Mother, whose remains he was bringing back to Ireland to bury. Bad taste...if you find yourself on a plane that may or may not make its destination, hope there is a man or woman aboard who has a sense of humor, who thinks of his fellow passengers. A wonderful book that deserves much more attention.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't get me wrong, it's well written and all....
Review: Perhaps it's just me, but I'm really beginning to feel like the McCourt family is just cashing in after Frank McCourt's two very successful novels. Of course, I'm not saying that Malachy McCourt is a bad writer, or that he has nothing positive to offer to the literary world, but this memoir left me with mixed feelings. No doubt, Malachy has a witty sense of humor and an interesting way of perceiving the negative side to life, but on the other hand, the structure of this book rubbed me the wrong way. You're led to believe that his stepdaughter, Nina, had a great life in an institution, yet 100 pages later, you're reading about molested and neglected children in the home she was placed in. Meanwhile, he's gone on to talk about everything else twenty years later before coming back to discussing Nina. I also ended the book with a feeling of "What was this book's purpose?" Many people experience tough lives while many people do not, but I felt the book lacked a significant climax, besides his health problems, which are nothing particularly unusual for people nowadays. However, I'd be VERY interested to see what kind of fictional work that McCourt could turn out with his sense of humor. Maybe we'll see some soon.
Rating:
Summary: Malachy's tremendous
Review: Singing my Him Song is a classic. It is a veritible who's who of the past 40 years of American pop culture. McCourt has encounters with Sean Connery, Jimmy "Kid Dynamite" Walker, Charlie Manson etc.. I enjoyed this book way more than A monk Swimming (maybe because I was skewed by the dipiction of Malachy's father in Frank's book Angela's Ashes, and saw Malachy and him as one in the same in that (monk) text). Him Song is a must read and an absolute gem.
Rating: 
Summary: Enough Already
Review: That's it, I've had it with the lesser McCourt. This "inspirational" blather is a cynical attempt to cash in on brotherly success.
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Summary: Another triumph of the McCourt spirit!
Review: The story of the McCourt Family continues. If I have any regret about this book, `tis that I read the bound version, whereas I listened to the unabridged audio versions of the other installments: Angela's Ashes,`Tis, and A Monk Swimming. The tapes are a richer experience, as one is drawn in by the brothers McCourt recounting their own tales - the joyous lilting highs and the flat out lows. Included is a description of Angela's death by BINGO (in Malachy's inimitable style, he attributes this almost-addiction to the beginning of her end) and discourse on such diverse matters as Nixon, VietNam, conservatism amongst Irish-Americans, and the care of the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. I heartily recommend it!
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Summary: A Hymn of Praise for _Singing My Him Song_
Review: This book accomplishes that rare and wonderful combination: entertainment and inspiration. Mr. McCourt conducts the reader through a labyrinth of successes, failures, elations, and despairs. When he recognizes that the despair is the sin to turn from, he is empowered to make it a reality. The descriptions of the tragic gravity of his predicaments are tempered with the saving element of humor. He is both a master storyteller and a seasoned and wisened philosopher. He does not skimp in his self-examination and it is this honesty, both in the telling and the living of this story that gives this book authenticity and power. When a person beats the incredibly harsh odds of a horrible childhood with such courage, it shines a beacon of trimph that invites us all to make improvements in our personal universes. The charming cleverness of his delivery makes the solid and valuable insights as enjoyable to digest as a five-course meal in a five-star restaurant.
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking
Review: This book, in my opinion, is a putting-to-rights of all the past hardships endured by Malachy. He appears to have found inner peace in the latter part of his life. And has learned to give and reciprocate love...unheard of sentiments in his childhood. I enjoyed every word.
Rating:
Summary: insightful and humorous
Review: This second memoir by Malachy McCourt was well written and charming. His way with words and sarcasm often made me chuckle. It was fulfilling to read about the changes he was finally able to make in his life. Althought brash at times, the book is an honest and heartwarming account of an extremely unique life.
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