About the Program
From 1997, Author Frank McCourt was a guest on Booknotes to talk about "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir." The book chronicles the author's life growing up in an impoverished section of Limerick, Ireland, as well as his childhood spent in New York City. His father was an alcoholic who at times spent the majority of his paycheck on alcohol, leaving his family hungry. Mr. McCourt writes about this as well as seeing three siblings die prematurely because of starvation or disease. The author also talks about the gift of storytelling that his father gave him which resulted in a career spent teaching and writing. Mr. McCourt died on July 19, 2009.