'Tis : Memoir,   ISBN:9780684865744

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This is the story of Frank's journey from impoverished immigrant teacher. He arrives in New York city at age 19, accompanied by a priest he met on the boat. The priest gets Frank a job at the Biltmore Hotel cleaning the lobby; unfortunately, he also tries to take sexual advantage of Frank. Frank gets drafted and is sent to Germany to train guard dogs; then just when he is succeeding and getting along well with his dog, Frank is sent to type reports. Returning to the U.S. in 1953 he works on the docks, then a few office jobs, back to the docs, and finally talks his way into NYU after realizing his main interest is in literature. (Frank never attended high school, was put on probation.) There he meets his (first) wife, studies while working (also has G.I. Bill), and bootstraps himself from unawareness of numerous big words.

Finishing his degree in 1957, its off to find a job - hindered at first by his Irish brogue. A daughter is born, though its obvious his marriage is not on the most solid ground. Frank returns to Ireland and his parents several times during the book, and they come to America to visit as well. Frank's brothers also join him in America. "Tis" ends with the deaths of Frank's parents and his return for his father's funeral, taking his daughter with.

Throughout this and all McCourt's books the underlying dislike of Protestants vs. Catholics simmers, as well as the unhappy relationship between his mother and generally drunk father. Tragic relationships, with good outcomes.

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'TIS is a much more interesting book than Angela's Ashes. The pace lends itself to a faster read, where Angela seemed to get bogged down at times. It still does not use quotations for dialogue, which is often tiresome to read, but does add to his literary style. Having read Teacher Man first, it feels like a step back, but it does give interesting insight into what makes us who we are.

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Frank McCourt's writing style is witty, charming, thought-provoking, and absolutely enthralling. I have a hard time putting the book down when my lunch hour is over!!!

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I'm not really a fan of memoirs, but if more of them were written with McCourt's beguiling grace, I'd read stacks.

The follow-up to the equally spectacular ANGELA'S ASHES, the book focuses on McCourt's early years as an Irish immigrant in Manhattan. He writes of his setbacks and challenges with charm, evoking a world both familiar and alien. The book made me laugh out loud more than once, a fine feat considering that it's not as though life rolled out the red carpet: he struggled with racism, poverty, an absentee father, tendencies to alcoholism, and terrific loneliness.

Nonetheless, the final picture is of a man who found his way with joy and hope, and it's a journey I loved taking with him.

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This book is a "must read" particularly if you read Angela's Ashes. It's even better than his earlier books and really gives you a great feeling as to how he put his life together.