It is narrated by Frank McCourt, and that made it all
the more powerful (and entertaining!) He writes the book exactly how he would have spoken then, so
I can imagine that for a well-read person, the contractions and punctuation and other bits of
grammar (or lack thereof) might be a challenge at first. Listening to him tell his life's story is
something altogether magical.

Frank McCourt tells of his life as a child growing up in severe
poverty. Only a master storyteller could get you to laugh out loud at a boy who has suffered such
severe hardships that I could hardly believe them. I'm sure that some of the circumstances have
been embellished for the sake of the story, but I have no doubt that people did and probably still
do live in conditions such as Frank McCourt and his family.

The deplorable conditions and
situations were sometimes difficult to listen to, and I wanted to crawl through the cassette deck on
more than one occasion and kick some "arse" myself. It made me realize how little a child really
needs to be happy and healthy, and a little ashamed of our own children "deprived" and "falling down
with the hunger" because they had to have toast with their eggs instead of a strawberry Pop
Tart.

This book certainly helped me to appreciate my own life, and made me unbelievably proud and
happy that little Frankie McCourt made it out of that hell and wrote to tell about it. It will also
make you quite hungry for fish and chips with plenty of vinegar and salt, which is where I'm headed
right after quitting time!