I really wanted to like Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. There were bits here and there, mostly anecdotes from his time in the classroom, that were fascinating. Mostly, though, it was just ridiculous, meaningless, rambling drivel. It was very annoying to read due to the many, many quotes without quotation marks. I also felt the constant negativity about himself got old fast. Mr. McCourt was clearly a good teacher and tried hard to teach the kids English in a way they understood no matter their background and previous knowledge. Focusing on that rather than his affairs and perceived failures (many of which weren’t) would have made this a much better book (reducing the amount of foul language would have been nice, too).
2 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2014: 51
Pages Read in 2014: 11,238
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
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Filed under Memoir, Non-Fiction
Tagged as 2 Stars
Mama Reader 
Sounds like it would have been a good book in concept, but his writing and language got in the way. That’s too bad. Reading about teaching and education can be quite inspiring when the writer is positive and respectful of her/his readers. Thanks for reviewing this book!