Angela's Ashes was a book I couldn't put down. My grandparents were born in Ireland, and somehow it helped me understand them better. Tis and Teacher Man also among my favorites. The author traveled with McCourt to Ireland and contains some amusing anecdotes. I also like the quote. So true.
"The uncluttered life is the key to a good memory"
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But my favorite explanation, because it so perfectly captured his blend of self-effacement and self-mockery, came after the dust-up at the Limerick bookstore, when McCourt admitted that he had erred at least once, a mistake he discovered on a previous journey to his hometown. It had happened at yet another book signing, he said, when a man approached and introduced himself as Willie Harrell, one of the boys that little Frankie McCourt grew up with. "Weak and leaning on a stick and looking like he was 100 years old," Harrell congratulated McCourt on a fine job of writing. Then he leaned across the table and said, "In your book you give me a sister, and Frankie, I had no sister." McCourt shook his head at the memory. "This was true. Somehow or other, I invented a sister for him who had none. But we chatted awhile, and finally Willie says, 'Frankie, I'd love a copy of your book. But I'm on the pension these days, and I was wondering, could you see letting me have a copy?' " And McCourt, still embarrassed, said of course he could. "That's fine, then," Willie said, "you let me have this book, Frankie, and we'll be forgetting about the sister."
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"When we were in 12th grade," one of his students said, "we started calling him Frank. He said this was undignified and we weren't to do it. We could call him Fra, he said, and when we graduated we could call him the full Frank."
Remembering Angela's Ashes Author Frank McCourt | Newsweek National News | Newsweek.com
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