Angela's Ashes

Narrative non-fiction Biography & Memoir Classics

Pages: 385
Published: 1996
Language: English

Frank McCourt's childhood in Limerick, Ireland, was marked by extreme poverty and hunger. His father's alcoholism and unemployment meant constant struggle for survival, yet his father's stories offered a glimmer of hope. Despite the harsh realities of his upbringing, Frank recounts his experiences with a remarkable sense of resilience and even forgiveness.

Prose complexity: 7/10

Sad Emotional Reflective Dark

Coming of Age Survival

Biography & Memoir Classics History Literary Fiction Memoir Sociology Biography Historical Fiction

Frank McCourt

Francis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won the Pulitzer Prize (1997) and National Book Critics Circle Award (1996) for his memoir Angela's Ashes (1996), which details his childhood as a poor Irish Catholic in Limerick. He is also the author of 'Tis (1999), which continues the narrative of his life, picking up from the end of the previous book and focusing on life as a new immigrant in America. Teacher Man (2005) detailed the challenges of being a young, uncert...