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the university daily kansan
friday ◀
11.5.99 ◀
six.a ◀
McCourt's new book 'Tis a grand one
By Clare McLellan Kansan book critic
With a little effort, you almost can hear his Irish brogue.
Frank McCourt writes with such affection and frankness that the pages of 'Tis come alive with the tales of an ordinary Irish kid with an extraordinary ambition to realize his dreams.
The follow up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning, #1 bestseller Angela's Ashes, 'Tis resumes the life of author McCourt as he arrives in New York City in 1949. At 19 years old, he leaves his home in Limerick, Ireland, to pursue a future in the land of opportunity. Hoping to be a famous writer and join the ranks of those authors with jackets on the wall at the Lion's Head tavern, he works odd jobs and struggles to survive, always trusting that his work is a means to that end.
His first job is cleaning the lobby of the Biltmore Hotel. He sees the rich college students with book covers that advertise NYU, Fordham, Columbia and wishes he could be in their shoes.
He writes, "It must be grand to be a student with nothing to do but listen to professors, read in libraries, sit under campus trees and discuss what you're learning. It must be grand to know you'll be getting a degree that puts you ahead of the rest of the world." McCourt has a subtle and endearing way of outpling things in perspective.
As the book progresses, we follow McCourt to Europe when he is drafted into the Army, to New York when he takes jobs at warehouses and as he finages his way into NYU. There he meets the beautiful Alberta with whom he falls in love and has an on-again, off-again romance that tears at him for the remainder of the book.
Throughout his experiences, McCourt's Irish heritage follows him. His unmaskable accent, lanky figure, bad teeth and bad eyes will not let him escape the legacy of dual nationalities.
He struggles with teaching jobs at vocational high schools before securing a job at Stuyvesant, a better high school, where he finally commands respect. He is now a middle-aged man wondering where the time went.
"Why is it the minute I open my mouth the whole world is telling me they're Irish and we should all have a drink? It's not enough to be American. You always have to be something else, Irish-American, German-American, and you'd wonder how they'd get along if someone hadn't invented the hyphen."
At the same time, he never abandons his heritage. He tears up when his plane descends on Ireland during his visits home. He sends money from each paycheck to his mother in Limerick to help pay for food and shoes for her and his three brothers.
As the story unfolds, the reader can't help but get caught up in the wonder of the journey McCourt takes us on. It's almost impossible to imagine, without a firsthand account, what it would be
Book facts
Grade: A
Publisher: Scribner
Price: $26.00
Number of Pages: 367
Grade: A
like to be fresh off the boat in New York City, trying to eke out a living in the '50s, convincing yourself this is your dream and how lucky you are just to be there.
While his life never was easy, McCourt never blames others for his shortcomings and failures. He accepts his faults, overcomes some and deals with the rest. It is an illuminating experience.
But at its heart is simplicity. McCourt has many "dark clouds" that float in and out of his head, yet he takes his trials in stride. The Irish have many stereotypes unduly placed upon them, as McCourt shows in his book. Most of us born and raised by American parents never will experience the jokes and put-downs many immigrants dealt with in coming to the United States seeking opportunities their countries could not afford them, opportunities many of us take for granted.
With his candid speech and incredible gift for incorporating dialogue that literally pulls the reader through the book, McCourt offers us a clear glimpse of what it was to be always known as Irish-American — the mick who never passes up a pint.
For McCourt, the statue reminds him of dreams, hopes and aspirations. Some realized, some forgotten, all cherished.
Many times in this book, McCourt finds himself passing the Statue of Liberty as he rides the ferry to and from Staten Island. It always causes him to ponder all the people who have passed the monument before and what it symbolizes for each of them.
The characters he introduces — rich and varied as they are, from landlady to co-workers, brothers to students — become vivid, real people in the reader's mind. Combined with McCourt's repetitive, descriptive style, characters we meet early on are easy to recognize when they resurface.
Tis is a book to be cherished;
a reminder of the beauty of our dreams.
Contributed art.
top ten billboard
Billboard Hot 100: Tap 10
1. "Smooth," Santana (featuring Rob Thomas)
2. "Satisfy You," Puff Daddy (featuring R. Kelly)
3. "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of Mambo)." Lou Bega
4. "Heartbreaker," Mariah Carey (featuring Jay-Z)
6. "Back At One," Brian McKnight
5. "Unpretty." TLC
10. "【You Drive Me] Crazy," Britney Spears
8. "My Love Is Your Love," Whitney Houston
7. "I Need To Know," Marc Anthony
The Billboard 200 Top Albums: Top 10
5. "...Baby One More Time," Britney Spears
1. ``Supernatural,'' Santana
9. ``Steal My Sunshine," Len
4 "Millennium," Rockstreet Boys
2. "Only God Can Judge Me," Master P
3. "A Little Bit Of Mambo," Lou Bego
6. "No. 4." Scene Temple Pilot
8. "LeAnn Kimes." LeAnn Kimes
9 "Under The Influence," Alan Jackson
10. "Significant Other." Limp Biskit
foi 1980b, HP4 Communications Inc. and Soundfill Inc.
The Bachelor falls off horse should be put out to pasture
By Brendan Walsh
Kansan movie critic
Chris O'Donnell stars as Jimmie, a 29-year-old swinging bachelor who relishes his freedom and his job at his grandfather's pool table factory. He likens himself and his lifestyle to that of the mustang, and sees no need to change his wild ways. But then a pretty filly comes along in the form of Anne (Renee Zellweger), and everything changes.
Agonizingly slow and predictable, The Bachelor is more painful than a prostate exam. A remake of Buster Keaton's Seven Chances (1925), this movie serves as a prime example of why most classics just don't need to be "updated."
After three years of dating, she tames his heart and lassos him into proposing to her. But disaster strikes, the filly bucks and says no to Jimmie's proposal. Our hero is thrown off. Hardly fazed, the stallion remains relatively confident that in the end he'll be able to corral his love as soon as she calms down.
But the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry, and Jimmie's world is thrown into havoc when his grandfather dies. In his will, the grandfather leaves Jimmie $100 million and the pool table business. But Jimmy will only receive the money if he gets married by his 30th birthday, which
Film facts
Rating: PG-13
Grade: D
Where: Westglen 18,16301 Midland Drive, Shawnee, KS
Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
is two days away.
A mad scramble through Jimmie's ex-girlfriends ensues, but it's difficult to find a willing wife. The dangling carrot of $100 million doesn't seem to be enough to lead any of his ex's into marriage, but Jimmie doesn't really want any of them anyway. He's still hung up on Anne, who isn't at all interested in getting married. Do Anne and Jimmie unite? Why doesn't Anne want to marry Jimmie? It's hard to care by the end of the movie.
Though O'Donnell and Zellweger are their usual charming selves, they can't rescue the oh-so-tired, misogynistic plot. The movie is like a horse with a broken leg: It needs to be shot and sent to the glue factory.
Swinging bachelor Jimmie (O'Donnell) pursues Anne (Zellweger) and a $100 million inheritance in the Buster Keaton remake The Bachelor. Contributed art.