Frank McCourt's last book, 'Tis, a memoir of his young Irish lad days trying to make it in New York, had me hooked. He is one funny guy. He writes in a conversational style that mixes his own voice and the voice of the other people he's telling you about that it's almost like having him at the same table during a session of minum-minum. I also admire the way he writes about his follies with as much feeling as the way describe his triumphs.
He taught writing for years in public schools and only published his first (and award-winning) book, Angela's Ashes, at 66 of age.
Teacher Man is his jot on his teaching career, which is a highly underappreciated job anywhere in the world apparently. If you've ever seen any documentaries on the US education system, you'll know that public schools is the subject of many heated debates over there for many years now. All I can say is, compared to over there, the education system here is at least more standardised.
I got this book mainly because it had a 15% discount. I was actually on my 'to get later' list, but it's hard to resist that much price reduction on a relatively newly released book.
One gripe though. The font used in it (the paperback version) is kinda small. It should come with a free bottle of EyeMo.
2 comments:
Bennie: Your passion for McCourt's works continues...
I have yet to read Teacher Man, but heard from a good friend of mine, a lecturer herself that the book is someway 'appropriate' as the story discloses so many things American teachers need to endure. Unlike Malaysian education system, Americans need to get their Masters degree first in order to be teachers. Still, they do not have the high regards by the students and the public.
I think it's more on the understanding of the profession itself. A noble job.
Although I now realise that ours is somewhat better the the edu system there, there are still many things needed to be corrected. Several of my friends who are married to teachers, for example, have to live apart from one another because of teacher placement problems. I cannot imagine what they're feeling.
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