'Tis by Frank McCourt

Hey everybody ^^I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the book I've been reading for the past few weeks, Frank McCourt's 'Tis.It's funny...perhaps I should explain why I bought it in the first place. Well... I have this thing for Classic Literature. To me, good books were books that lasted the test of time and that had been rediscovered and reread and reinterpreted. Perhaps books that look like they are just telling someone's story, but because of it's descriptions or accurate caricatures, they have touched many lives. I used to think I had to read literature because that's where the thought was, that's where the real stuff was. But then one day as I was looking through the bookstore I realized that it was impossible to read everything, and that by the time I finished reading all the literature some of the modern books I was missing out on might become literature, but I would've missed it while it was still fresh. Capice? Hahaha... so I thought: I really need to start reading about what authors are thinking TODAY, because that affects us now, and it describes the times I'm living in today. So I made a personal rule: for every classic I buy, I buy a current book as well. That will help me strike a balance and make me even better prepared for the world. And I've been enjoying this decision.
Anyway, 'Tis is hilarious. At first I really couldn't get used to the narrative style, it's so natural and colloquial and wrong that it took me by surprise at first. I didn't really like it...until the story itself pulled me in, the harsh realities of being an immigrant in New York, the honest expression and flow of thoughts, the way I could tell this is really what the author had been thinking at that age and the way he would have said it back in the day. Frank McCourt starts off as a boy who was shipped off to America to find a job as a teen, so that he could make his living in the land of the free and earn some to provide for his starving family back in Ireland. The story is about everything that happens once he gets there, full of ridiculously unlucky and lucky events, and so ironic. It's witty and funny and sad all at once, plus pretty disgusting when you read it as a girl and see what's going on in boys' heads all the time. But it's blunt and very believable. Furthermore, when McCourt writes about having "dark clouds in his head" one feels very sympathetic, because you can tell that even if he is in his twenties and has gone through a lot in life, he is still learning, still growing, still adjusting to adulthood. People aren't always that responsible, and then when their actions have consequences or when things happen to them, you can see their confusion and/or helplessness. It's a wonderful book. I don't recommend it to everyone, because there is some stuff I don't think is so pleasant, plus the cussing is unbelievably penetrating (believe in the power of reading and choose good things, because what goes into your head stays there, believe me, after reading a few chapters of this book, my brain started wanting to use swear words in many occasions. so always read doses of clean stuff when you know you're filling your head with filth). But for the mature reader it is full of surprises and life lessons, and many funny incidents that are worth checking out.I'm not done, but he goes on to become a teacher, and a lot of interesting things are going on in the classroom right now. Anyway... =) If anyone would like to borrow it when I'm done (probably will finish it next week) , please feel free to ask.