Overview
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, mega-bestselling author who wore his celebrity with extraordinary grace comes a magnificently appealing book about teaching and about how one great storyteller found his voice. Frank McCourt became an unlikely star when, at the age of sixty-six, he burst onto the literary scene with Angela's Ashes, the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir of his childhood in Limerick, Ireland. Then came 'Tis, his glorious account of his early years in New York. Now, here at last is McCourt's long-awaited book about how his thirty-year teaching career shaped his second act as a writer. Teacher Man is also an urgent tribute to teachers everywhere. In bold and spirited prose featuring his irreverent wit and compelling honesty, McCourt records the trials, triumphs and surprises he faced in the classroom. Teacher Man shows McCourt developing his unparalleled ability to tell a great story as, five days a week, five periods per day, he worked to gain the attention and respect of unruly, hormonally charged or indifferent adolescents. For McCourt, storytelling itself is the source of salvation, and in Teacher Man the journey to redemption -- and literary fame -- is an exhilarating adventure.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780743243780
- ISBN-10: 0743243781
- Publisher: Scribner Book Company
- Publish Date: September 2006
- Dimensions: 8.52 x 5.58 x 0.68 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.5 pounds
- Page Count: 272
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Teacher Man
McCourt adds to his string of memoirs with a fascinating book about his years as a high school English teacher in New York City. Looking back on a three-decade career in the classroom, McCourt begins his account in 1958 with his tenure at McKee Vocational and Technical School. Still reeling from his impoverished Irish upbringing and trying to come to terms with his painful past, he finds himself at odds with school administrators, who advise him to keep his private life to himself and to be a disciplinarian when dealing with pupils. McCourt, naturally, takes the opposite tack. Concocting provocative writing assignments, sharing his personal experiences with students, and making an effort to get to know them, McCourt tries hard to inspire and excite his charges. Sometimes he succeeds; sometimes he fails. Along the way, he becomes adept at dealing with the public school system, red tape and all. Fans of McCourt will enjoy reading this new chapter in his remarkable life. His lyrical prose style and wonderful sense of humor are present throughout the narrative, making the book vintage McCourt and a must-read for lovers of Angela's Ashes. A timely and spirited narrative, Teacher Man entertains even as it provides valuable insight into the life of an educator.
Teacher Man
McCourt adds to his string of memoirs with a fascinating book about his years as a high school English teacher in New York City. Looking back on a three-decade career in the classroom, McCourt begins his account in 1958 with his tenure at McKee Vocational and Technical School. Still reeling from his impoverished Irish upbringing and trying to come to terms with his painful past, he finds himself at odds with school administrators, who advise him to keep his private life to himself and to be a disciplinarian when dealing with pupils. McCourt, naturally, takes the opposite tack. Concocting provocative writing assignments, sharing his personal experiences with students, and making an effort to get to know them, McCourt tries hard to inspire and excite his charges. Sometimes he succeeds; sometimes he fails. Along the way, he becomes adept at dealing with the public school system, red tape and all. Fans of McCourt will enjoy reading this new chapter in his remarkable life. His lyrical prose style and wonderful sense of humor are present throughout the narrative, making the book vintage McCourt and a must-read for lovers of Angela's Ashes. A timely and spirited narrative, Teacher Man entertains even as it provides valuable insight into the life of an educator.