Wednesday, March 22, 2017

The (Un)Luck of the Irish

For the month of March, book club members gathered to discuss the book Angela's Ashes. Beforehand, we watched the movie of the same name together. At the meeting, we were able to compare and contrast the two. Members also enjoyed an Irish bread pudding and tea as we discussed the book and movie as well as an "Irish potatoes" confection. Below are further resources for those interested in learning more about this book and the world depicted in it.


“We race around the playground and the twins laugh and make goo-goo sounds till they get hungry and start to cry. There are two bottles in the pram filled with water and sugar and that keeps them quiet for a while till they’re hungry again and they cry so hard I don’t know what to do because they’re so small and I wish I could give them all kinds of food so that they’d laugh and make the baby sounds. They love the mushy food Mam makes in a pot, bread mashed up in milk and water and sugar. Mam calls it bread and goody.” - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Author Bios & Interviews


Book Reviews


 Discussion Questions


 Movie Tie-In

Irish History
Bits of Irish history are discussed throughout the book, especially by Malachy Sr. Below are links to some more information about names, groups, events, etc. mentioned.

“Dad is out looking for a job again and sometimes he comes home with the smell of whiskey, singing all the songs about suffering Ireland. Mam gets angry and says Ireland can kiss her arse. He says that’s nice language to be using in front of the children and she says never mind the language, food on the table is what she wants, not suffering Ireland. She says it was a sad day Prohibition ended because Dad gets the drink going around to saloons offering to sweep out the bars and lift barrels for a whiskey or a beer.”  - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt


Irish Geography
McCourt vividly describes many places in his neighborhood growing up. More details on some of these locales can be found in the links below.

Limerick:
Outside of Limerick:

Irish Vocabulary & Expressions
  • boreen - narrow country road
  • brawn - meat from a pig's or calf's head that is cooked and pressed in a pot with jelly
  • cock o' the walk - someone who acts more important than others in a group
  • gansey - a seaman's knitted woollen sweater
  • omadhaun - fool, someone who is out of their senses, simpleton
  • poltroon - an utter coward
  • quiff - a piece of hair, especially on a man, brushed upward and backward from the forehead
  • wigs on the green - a fight, brawl or fracas, or to a difference of opinion that could lead to fisticuffs

“The master, Mr. Benson, said the government was going to give us the free lunch so we wouldn’t have to be going home in the freezing weather. He led us down to a cold room in the dungeons of Leamy’s School where the charwoman, Nellie Ahearn, was handing out the half pint of milk and the raisin bun. The milk was frozen in the bottles and we had to melt it between our thighs. The boys joked and said the bottles would freeze our things off and the master roared, Any more of that talk and I’ll warm the bottles on the back of yeer heads. We all searched our raisin buns for a raisin but Nellie said they must have forgotten to put them in and she’d inquire from the man who delivered. We searched again every day till at last I found a raisin in my bun and held it up.” - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Literature & Poetry
In many respects, Frank is an autodidact who learns by the bits of reading he manages to snatch here and there. Listed below are some of the authors, books, and poems he notes in his memoir.

Miscellany

Further Reading

Books by Frank McCourt:
  • Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
  • 'Tis: A Memoir
  • chapter in Yeats Is Dead! A Mystery by 15 Irish Writers
  • Teacher Man: A Memoir
  • Angela and the Baby Jesus (adult & children's editions)
  • A Couple of Blaguards (with Malachy McCourt)
Books by Malachy McCourt (Jr.):
  • Voices of Ireland: Classic Writings of a Rich and Rare Land
  • Singing My Him Song 
  • A Monk Swimming: A Memoir 
  • Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad 
  • The Claddagh Ring: Ireland's Cherished Symbol Of Friendship, Loyalty And Love 
  • Bush Lies in State 
  • Harold Be Thy Name: Lighthearted Daily Reflections for People in Recovery
  • Through Irish Eyes: A Visual Companion to Angela McCourt's Ireland 
  • History of Ireland 
  • Essay in The Face in the Mirror: Writers Reflect on Their Dreams of Youth and the Reality of Age
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Monday, March 6, 2017

To Be Read...

UPDATED WITH NEW DATES (as of 4/3/17)

 Your survey answers are in and thus our next few months' worth of reading is ready!

March 20 & 21: We will be comparing and contrasting a book and its movie adaptation. [NONFICTION]

On Monday, we'll be showing the movie version of Angela's Ashes at 6pm.

Then on Tuesday, we will gather together at 7pm to discuss both the book and its movie adaptation. Join us on either day or for both!




April 20 at 7pm: Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas J. Preston

Summary: A five-hundred-year-old legend. An ancient curse. A stunning medical mystery. And a pioneering journey into the unknown heart of the world's densest jungle. Suspenseful and shocking, filled with colorful history, hair-raising adventure, and dramatic twists of fortune, "The Lost City of the Monkey God" is the absolutely true, eyewitness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2017

Length: 326 pages


May 18 at 7pm: Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

Summary: In 1995, Adam Gopnik and his family left their familiar home in New York City and headed to the glamorous, historically rich, and romantic city of Paris, France. Here, Gopnik presents a personal memoir about his time in the City of Light and what it was like to be an American family in Paris. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2000

Length: 338 pages




June 22 at 7pm: The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

Summary: Through an heirloom charm bracelet three women will rediscover the importance of family, love, faith, friends, fun and a passion for living as the magic of each charm changes their lives.

Year Published: 2016

Length: 298 pages



Can't wait to hear your thoughts on these books at an upcoming meeting!
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