Personal Response 1

Why do I like the book so much?


I am a very diverse reader and I will read just about anything that will pertain to my interest. However, I ususally tend to go for the kind of books that have emotion, a story that touches the heart, a story that is full of sorrows, but has a glimmer of hope for the suffering protagonist. Fortunately, I came across Angela's Ashes  by Frank McCourt. As far as I can remember, I have never read a memoir before and I thought this would be a nice change for me.
I was pulled into the story from the very first page. I know that probably most readers would say that about any wonderful book they have read, but it is true. It was mostly the second and third paragraph that got to me from the beginning:

       "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.
       "People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years." (11)

After reading the passage above, I tried to imagine what a young child would think, say or feel in that kind of state of living. I have always believed that childhood should always be a wonderful happy time in a person's life. A time where he or she can look back fondly on and think that the only thing they had to worry about back in their youth was having fun. To have Frank McCourt's kind of childhood were there was constant hunger, little money to take care of themselves, and deal with being treated harshly just because they were poor, must be absolutely horrible. So I read on, wondering to see where this story would go. It is so easy to get caught up in this kind of story of  poverty and hardships through the eyes of a little boy. The details were very vivid and I was able to imagine clearly in my mind of what was happening, such as the details of where they would live and how it was always wet and buggy and his father coming home drunk and singing Ireland songs.
This truly was a fantastic book to read. Yes, it is a sad book and people are suffering in it, but that is what makes it a good book to read; because there is depth and meaning to it. I'm definitely glad that I chose this book and it is now on my long list of favorite books.