Teacher Dude

A Book Review

Title:
Teacher Man

Author:
Frank McCourt

I knew Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes', his Pulitzer Prize-Winning autobiography book, from my uncle (who happens to be of the same age as I am) whose girlfriend lend him the book. Read a couple of pages while we were having an island-holiday retreat and I was hooked, then decided to get my own copy. I don't know what the criteria for Pulitzer is, but based on my experience in reading Angela's Ashes, I think the guy really deserves the prize.

Now, a couple of years later and 2 more books (his second book is titled ''Tis'), I must say that the writing style that charmed me is still going on strong. What is so interesting about McCourt's writing style is its fluidity. The guy can go straight from an indirect sentences to direct sentences with grace and ease. Not only that, every page, every sentences in this book is brimming with his playful personality, which makes the book fun and easy to read. A real page turner, this is.

If 'Angela's Ashes' is about McCourt's harsh childhood when he was living in Limerick, Ireland, and ''Tis' is about the story of his adapting to living in America, 'Teacher Man' is about his easing into his job as a teacher in various learning institutes in New York. Not as serious as 'Angela's Ashes' and ''Tis', McCourt describes his many experiences as the 'teacher man', his views about teaching in general (in the U.S. of A., at least), and stories about many of his more interesting students. This book is not only about teaching though, because this is, afterall, Frank McCourt's autobiography book. This is like 'McCourt on Teaching in General', with a bit of his Irish childhood background and his outside-0f-school life experience (but also related to his teaching experience) thrown here and there.

It is hard not to draw comparison between his previous two books, but I must say that 'Angela's Ashes' is the best of them all, with 'Teacher Man' coming at a not-so-distant second. ''Tis' is also a good read, it serves as a bridge between 'Angela's Ashes' and 'Teacher Man'. However, for these two books, ''Tis' and 'Teacher Man', I felt that McCourt is not as determined as he was when he was writing 'Angela's Ashes'. Either that or it's just that his life experiences that were told during 'Angela's Ashes' were just more varied and colorful compared to ''Tis' and 'Teacher Man'. Mind you, 'Teacher Man' is still a good book, and a good display of a unique writing style.

If you have read 'Angela's Ashes' and ''Tis', and are interested in the story of McCourt's life and you also like his writing style, you definitely have to get this book. If you haven't read 'Angela's Ashes', you might have a hard time trying to understand his background when you're reading 'Teacher Man'. So, for those who are interested in 'Teacher Man', but haven't got around to reading 'Angela's Ashes', I suggest that you do so. You will find a richer experience in Angela's Ashes, and it will give you the background you need in reading 'Teacher Man'. Finally, if you're a teacher or aspiring to be one, I must say that this book is a must-read to give you a general idea of what it's like being a teacher. Yes, I'm saying that this is about being a teacher anywhere, not only in the U.S. of A.