I’ve always got a penchant for books that take me to a different time and place. So when I picked up Angela’s Ashes by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, I was expecting to be transported to 1930’s Limerick, Ireland. However, I was surprised at how I found the time and place so familiar. 

Francis “Frank” McCourt wrote and published his memoir late in his career, where it garnered a Pultizer Prize, The National Book Critics Circle Award, and a film adaptation. According to LA Times, he discovered the best perspective to tell the story while watching his granddaughter develop her vocabulary. Indeed, he wrote the memoir through the eyes of a child. 

Angela’s Ashes tells of McCourt’s childhood experiences as an Irish Catholic kid from an underprivileged family during the Great Depression. It is a recollection of a young boy’s innocence towards a world that contrastingly instills guilt and fear. From this perspective, the book explores social tensions, survival, family, and morality. Catholicism is also a recurring theme as it is a huge part of social life in Limerick, shaping Frank’s faith, values, and reality.

Life, Saints, and Angels

McCourt’s writing takes readers with him as if in time travel through compelling descriptions and honest narration. Following his stories of childhood, I was reminded of my own. I found myself nodding in recognition towards various catholic practices that encompass Irish life. It was relatable up to how porcelain was kept in cupboards for special occasions, to the expression “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” of which we have a shortened version here in the Philippines.

I was taken by how the author phrases significant life questions with simple words. Society teaches a child that they should be dying for many things, like their faith or the country. Yet, a child wonders what he should be living for? Like him, my first understanding of how to live came from my mandatory elementary catechism, and it was to follow righteous people like saints and martyrs. The book starts with this simple notion, then goes on to deeper contemplations about life. 

I believe everyone will find this book gripping, for each of us was little once. The book’s humorous and almost sarcastic narration will remind you of the curious child you once were. It will also remind you how children with significant questions are met with impatience most of the time. If a child asks where his/her baby brother comes from, they will say things like angels bring babies in the middle of the night. Now isn’t that familiar? Nonetheless, I’m sure some curiosity remains amongst all of us, and just like I did, you’ll surely relate to the book’s dialogue. 

Family, Morality, and Survival

Altogether, this book recounts Frank’s and his family’s struggle to survive in the slums of Limerick. It’s as matter-of-fact as possible in delivery but elicits heartbreaking emotions somehow. It also presents a critical look at religion, tradition, and social class. I learned that sometimes a person could only do much good to the world when the world is equally generous to him – despite him having the best intentions. Whether Frank McCourt intends his book to become an eye-opener on these issues or purely to come to terms with his past, readers will leave with valuable sentiments. 

A few readers suggest McCourt may have romanticized some situations. However, it’s probably part of portraying a scene from a child’s perspective – where wonder and irrationality are parts of their reality. If there’s anything I could add, it’s a deeper exploration of the adults’ lives within the story.

I recommend this book to fellow Filipino readers, for it mirrors so many traditions in our country – the good and the bad. While entirely foreign, it helps frame a bigger picture of important socio-economic and familial issues. I truly enjoyed this heartwarming book with all the frustration, sadness, humor, and hope that it evoked.