Journal Entry 1 by HoserLauren from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Saturday, January 01, 2005

From Chapters:
Born in Depression era Brooklyn to Irish immigrants, Frank McCourt experienced a childhood fraught with poverty and occasional cruelty. When the family moved back to Limerick, Ireland, Frank endured the most miserable of childhoods. From harrowing family episodes to the surprizing, indefatigable spirit of McCourt, this memoir is an absorbing read from start to finish. An astonishing, glorious debut, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angela's Ashes recounts McCourt's experience with remarkable exuberance and remarkable forgiveness.

My Review:
I read this book for my OAC english project, and compared it to the Roddy Doyle book "A Star Called Henry". Both books were exceptional. This is an amazing story of survival and family. It's funny and sad. A excellent read.

Will possibly be starting a bookring with this book. 

Journal Entry 2 by HoserLauren from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Bookring!! This bookring is always open, so just PM me to join. I realize the order is a bit messed up, but there's a good reason for it :) When you're almost done the book, just PM the next member on the list to get their address.

Here are the members so far:

1. BecFromMD (GA, USA) Done!
2. emoutraspalavra (Brazil) Done!
3. violetaparra (MA,USA)Done!

..
Back to me! 

Journal Entry 3 by HoserLauren at n/a in n/a, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Released on Thursday, January 06, 2005 at about 6:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at n/a in n/a, Bookring Controlled Releases.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to BecFromMD to start its bookring journey! 

Journal Entry 4 by BecFromMD from Washington, District of Columbia USA on Sunday, January 30, 2005

Sorry--this arrived last week and I forgot to journal. :) Will start reading soon!

2/28/05 update:

I seem to be perpetually a week behind on journaling this! I finished reading it last week and put it in the mail to emoutraspalavra.

I cried almost the whole time I was reading this story. It was a bit slow at points, but it's important that some memoirs like this become popular to remind those of us living in developed countries what extreme poverty also exists in the world. 

Journal Entry 5 by AnonymousFinder on Saturday, March 12, 2005

It arrived here yesterday. I'll begin to read it soon.
Thank you for starting this ring. 

Journal Entry 6 by violetaparra from Boston, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, June 12, 2005

Ahhh... I can't believe that I didn't pick this up for so long, fearful as I was that it would be "too depressing," or "not for the faint of heart," as many who had read it had told me it would be. So imagine my shock at laughing out loud at the very first paragraphs!

McCourt is a masterful storyteller in the true Irish style, one who can crack you up with his pithy descriptions of the characters that populated his past, make you smile even as you're shaking your head that any humans should have to live like this. And yet, maybe I was not as depressed by it as I'd expected because, well, there are still plenty of people living like this, after all. McCourt's skill lies in his ability to paint in an almost melodic language all the emotions of his coming of age. As stunning as I'd hoped. 

Journal Entry 7 by HoserLauren from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Friday, June 24, 2005

My first bookring has been a success!
Thank you to everyone who participated.

I'm going to put this down in my PC just for a while. I want to re-read it once before I decide if I'm going to let it go, or if I'm going to keep it!

Thanks again!