Teacher man: a memoir
(Book)

Nearly a decade ago Frank McCourt became an unlikely star when, at the age of 66, 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 audio 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 heartbreaking honesty, McCourt records the trials, triumphs, and surprises he faces in public high schools around New York City. Teacher Man shows McCourt developing his unparalleled ability to tell a great story as he works to gain the attention and respect of unruly, hormonally charged, or indifferent adolescents. McCourt's rocky marriage, his failed attempt to get a Ph.D. at Trinity College, Dublin, and his repeated firings due to his propensity to talk back to his superiors ironically lead him to New York's most prestigious school, Stuyvesant High School, where he finally finds a place and a voice. For McCourt, storytelling itself is the source of salvation and in Teacher Man, the journey to redemption -- and literary fame -- is an exhilarating adventure.