Angela's Ashes author Frank McCourt visits Lamar University
I had no inkling as to what I was in store for Thursday, April 10, 2008. I had never attended a book lecture apart from the pedagogy courses that I've taken. As I entered into the Lamar Theater thinking that I was a tad bit early (7:20), I noticed the auditorium was overcrowded with people. The seats were filled, people were standing around the walls, and sitting on the floor in the aisles of the theater(which is what I decided to do). Frank McCourt was not a familiar author to me. To be honest, I had never heard of him or his Pulitzer prize winning book: Angela's Ashes. However, I quickly began to form interest in what he had to say. As soon as I heard that he was a retired teacher, I felt an immediate connection to him.
On the program available that evening, it stated that he worked in the New York City school system for 27 years. I knew that he would have some interesting stories to share about teachers, students, and administrators, and he did. Although, I didn't particularly like that he used so much profanity, (which I'm glad I had a baby-sitter for the evening. I noticed that there were children seated in the audience, which made me feel a little uncomfortable for them), Frank McCourt in my opinion is a great story teller. It amused me when he told the story about the student found smoking, eating, and using the restroom all at the same time. I liked when he described so many of the roles teachers play in the classroom: Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Counselor, Friend, Mediator, Doctor, Attorney and the list went on and on. I thought to myself, "you are absolutely right". I instantly thought of my personal teaching experience. Another entertaining story was that of his flight into Texas, and his airport experience in Houston, the gentleman on the plane that told him that he didn't want to come to Beaumont. I found myself laughing out loud at times.
I quickly learned that Angela's Ashes was to bring to life the difficulty he experienced in his childhood, living in Limerick Ireland. The book talked about many obstacles he had to overcome. It focused on the love he had for his family, while using humor and description to explain the past. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Angela's Ashes won many other awards, selling 4 million copies in 17 countries. Although I haven't read the book or any other books that he's written, I could really find myself interested in reading his work.
