by Frank McCourt

isbn: 0684872153
subject: Nonfiction, Biography
finished: 4/4/2000

Angela's Ashes is one of the rare books that does a good job of capturing what it's like to be a child -- the peculiar joys, fears, and other sensations that are difficult to recall as an adult. McCourt's childhood in Ireland during the depression was tougher than most; his father drank away what little money his family had, leaving Frank and his siblings malnourished and living in unsanitary conditions. This quote sums it up well:

When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.

Angela's Ashes isn't all about misery, though; McCourt deftly describes his growing interest in stories and literature, the dysfunctional piousness of Limerick's citizens, the unintentional hilarity of his schoolmasters, and the strained relationships between his relatives. I'm not usually much of a fan of memoirs, but this is a really good book.