Rating: 
Summary: Angela's Ashes - The Politics of Poverty
Review: I avoided and dreaded reading this book, because my own life growing up in Ireland in the '40's and '50's were only five notches above this situation. Imagine a country rampant with tuberculosis, few job opportunities, no birth control, no social service agencies, no therapists to help parents cope with the depression over the death of a child, no understanding of alcoholism, no children of alcoholics support groups, no health care to speak of, no health department, little or no food, no clothes, no heat, no Needies Fun or Toy Drive at Christmas, and a skewed education system. Imagine having a separate school, the Leamy's School for poor children, the Christian Brothers for better off children, and the Jesuits for the well-to-do? After finishing the book, and loving every chapter, I was not depressed at all. It is a great book; a memorable story of trials, tribulations and triumph for some members of a family forced to live in subhuman conditions. When the onion is peeled back on this story, one finds a close-knit family. There is little or no evidence of physical or sexual abuse inside the family. Malachy, the father, was a reader, a good writer and storyteller. During those priceless mornings at the fire, and when he was able to be sober, he sowed these seeds of interest in his children, resulting in Frank's thirst for knowledge, Shakespeare, and writing which took him all the way to a Pulitzer prize. If Malachie were an executive in the US today, his alcoholism problem would be accepted and treated while he kept his job, provided he had the right health care insurance, of course.
Frank, was the entrepreneur in the family making money by deliverng coal, selling papers, reading to the visually impaired, writing threatening letters for the "collection" agency, and delivering telegrams. His generosity to his family and his kindness to the old and infirm to which he delivered telegrams tells us he never became hard and indifferent in spite of his own daily hardships. I'd say his biggest legacy will be in what he passed on to his students all the years he was a teacher in the Stuyvescant High School. He could slip into the shoes of his students and truly understand their lives. They would feel and know that Mr. McCourt was on the same page with them.
This book would be very beneficial as required reading for social workers, teachers, doctors, nurses, clergy, or anyone working with the poor, disenfranchised, refugees or immigrants. It would help them to look beyond what they see standing before them; and see the person, the family, the lives being lived. Poverty exists in every country today, including the USA. These same stories can be heard today in every country where people are out of work, where there is child labor, where there is child abuse, alcohol and other drug problems, and in cities, town and villages that have Neediest Funds and Toy Drives at Christmas. Didn't someone say "The Poor Will Always Be With Us?"
I'd also recommend a brief overview of the History of Ireland for people reviewing this book so they could have an inkling about the social, economic and political conditions in Ireland at that time.
For people who appreciated this book, another great book will be coming out in the USA next year. It is entitled "Are you Somebody," by Nuala O'Failoin, a young girl growing up in a Dublin family. Another masterpiece. Watch for it.
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Rating: 
Summary: I was hoping for a phoenix, but none arose.
Review: The book is well constructed and crafted. However, I bought for the Irish hopefulness of an O'Hara or Flannigan, but none came. Hardly worth a tinkers dam, in my way of thinking. Why glorify the mum and da who never rose from the ashes? I can see that all on the telly!
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointed...
Review: "Have you read that book by Frank McCourt? It's sooo good, you positively haaaaaave to read it!" This statement would then be followed by close to ten minutes of ravings about Irish accents, something about a pig's head, overflowing latrines and dirty Limericks. A few weeks ago, I finally got tired of being continually gushed at when I would reply that I haven't read Angela's Ashes. I bought a copy, went home and prepared to have the most profound experience of my life. I was somewhat disappointed. The first several chapters of the book were interesting and I found myself laughing out loud several times. The childlike narration is good in the beginning, but you would expect it to mature somewhat throughout the book as the child/narrator grows up. It doesn't. The latter parts of the book are what gave me trouble, I suppose. The gruesome details of every sort of sickness imaginable and the description of horrible living conditions is pretty compelling stuff, but after awhile it just gets gross. Not to even mention that there are some very personal things about Mr. McCourt that I would have rather not known. It would be unfair of me to say that I didn't like the book at all, because I felt it had it's moments. But to me those few moments don't make up for the number of times I have been accosted with "Oooh have you read that book by Frank McCourt?"
Rating:
Summary: This was a truly cultural experience.
Review: I spend my sparse reading moments on non-fiction. This book is the best I've read. It has taken me to an Ireland I only thought I knew. I giggled and cried in my armchair.... We have felt your humanity, Mr. McCourt. Thank you for surviving to share it with us.
Rating:
Summary: The voice is everything.
Review: You must listen to Frank McCourt read his wonderful, poignant, sad, hilarious memoir of his childhood in Ireland. You will find yourself, like me, sitting in driveways and parking lots, unwilling to turn off the car's cassette player so that a little more of "Frankie, Frankie, ah Jaysus, Frankie" can enter your heart. Thank you, Mr. McCourt for delivering the perspective of a child in words and phrases at once incisive and ingenuous. A treasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Terribly disappointed by the seemingly fictitious characters
Review: Having grown up in a fiercely Irish Catholic family, I could hardly wait to read the gift my husband gave to me for St. Patrick's day. Although amused by some of the antics of the main characters, I could not associate any with the characters my parents spoke so lovingly about in their years in poor Catholic familys in two different counties in Ireland. Unlike Mc Court's account, the characters my parents knew were hard working, even though sometimes hard drinking, and all had much more pride and were much more responsible about their families. I grew more and more suspicious about the so-called true accounts of life in a poor Irish family. I could hardly call this book literature. It seemed more like an attempt by Mc Court to create a best-seller rather than an attempt to truly interpret life in Ireland.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, moving book!
Review: I listened to the unabridged recording of this book on my way to and from work, and could hardly wait to get to the car for more! This book is without a doubt the best I have read this year, if not one of the best I have ever read. In fact, I bought a copy of the hardcover to add it to my shelf of favorites. Listening to Frank McCourt himself read his own words was a wonderful way to experience this book. The lilting accent, the voices he used for his father, mother, brothers, teachers, and priests, and his singing undoubtedly added to my enjoyment of his book. Powerful and uplifting, it made me laugh and cry. I can only hope for a sequel; I want to know more.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book that has me crying and laughing out loud.
Review: I listened to the tape of this book on a trip home in the car this summer. I knew I had to read the book. As I read, I can still hear Mr. McCourt's beautiful Irish brogue. I hate to put it down, but I don't want to read it too fast because I don't want it to end. I am telling all my friends about it and encouraging them to read it. As a Catholic educated in the 40s & 50s, I can appreciate so much of what the author has to say about a Catholic education. I love this book!!
Rating:
Summary: Why this will not be required reading for my students.
Review: I had planned to make Angela's Ashes required reading for my Irish American history course at NVCC Alexandria next spring, but many readers were bothered by the book, so it will be optional. I loved the book but can easily understand why some readers hated it. (In my family my mother was the alcoholic.) So I thank all those who were honest enough to say why they didn't like it. By the way, I still laugh out loud when recalling young Fanks' first confession and communion.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully narated by the author
Review: After reading the hard cover edition I listened to the unabriged tape version and it was wonderful. Frank McCourt is an award winning writer and an extraordinary story teller in the best of the oral tradition. His characterizations, dialects, and songs bring the book to life. It is one of the most fulfilling literary experiences I have ever had.
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