'Tis

Starting where his previous memoir concluded, Frank McCourt chronicles his arrival in New York City as an impoverished nineteen-year-old immigrant. The narrative follows his transition from manual labor on the docks to his service in the United States Army during the Korean War. Upon his return to civilian life, McCourt utilizes the G.I. Bill to enroll at New York University, eventually becoming a high school English teacher. He details his struggles with assimilation, his complicated relationship with his alcoholic father and resilient mother, and the persistent feeling of being an outsider in American society.

Readers who value detailed accounts of the mid-twentieth-century immigrant experience and the realities of the American class system will find this book informative. It appeals to those interested in the logistical and emotional hurdles of social mobility and the Specifics of working within the New York City public school system. A reader walks away with a clear understanding of how one man navigated structural poverty and self-education to establish a professional life while contending with his family's traumatic history in Ireland.

Inward-looking and clear-cut; an easy read.

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