Teacher Man

The much anticipated book by McCourt detailing how his thirty-year teaching profession influenced his second act as a writer.

Frank McCourt rose to unexpected fame over ten years ago when, at sixty-six, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his book Angela's Ashes, which detailed his early years in Limerick, Ireland. Then 'Tis appeared, his magnificent narrative of his early years in New York.

McCourt's long-awaited book on how his thirty-year teaching career influenced his second act as a writer is now out. Additionally, Teacher Man is a poignant ode to educators worldwide. McCourt chronicles the difficulties, victories, and shocks he encounters at public high schools in New York City in audacious and vibrant language that showcases his irreverent humor and poignant honesty. Through unconventional teaching methods, such as assigning creative writing assignments (he had one class write "An Excuse Note from Adam or Eve to God"), singing alongs with recipe ingredients serving as lyrics, and field trips (imagine taking twenty-nine rowdy girls to a movie in Times Square!), McCourt leaves a lasting impression on his students.

McCourt finds it difficult to fit in at school, spends his nights drinking with authors, and hopes to create his own narrative one day. Teacher Man follows McCourt as he strives to win over the respect and attention of misbehaving, hormonally charged, or uninterested teenagers five days a week, five periods a day. This sees McCourt hone his unmatched storytelling skills. Ironically, McCourt's difficult marriage, his abortive effort to get a Ph.D. at Trinity College, Dublin, and his several dismissals for criticizing his bosses bring him to Stuyvesant High School, the most esteemed institution in New York, where he at last finds acceptance and a voice. "Doggedness," he asserts, is "not as glamorous as ambition or talent or intellect or charm, but still the one thing that got me through the days and nights."

According to McCourt, the art of storytelling itself may bring to salvation, and in Teacher Man, the quest for both literary renown and redemption is an exciting trip.