The Haunting Past: A Reflection

Frank McCourt is easily one of my most favorite writers of the century. When my sister lent me his book Angela's Ashes, I read a few lines and was instantly hooked. I was torn by his boyhood accounts in Limerick, Ireland, before, by some Irish luck and a twist of fate, he gained passage back to America where he was born. I cannot forget his intrepid descriptions of the squalor, the family's struggles with his father's alcoholism, his baby twin brothers' deaths (one twin would look outside the window calling out and waiting for the other, until later, he, too, succumbed to the damp, lack of sanitation, poor, extremely poor surroundings). Angela was FM's mother. A book of inspiration and inner strength...

I am now reading his third book, Teacher Man, which chronicles his 30-year travail as an English teacher in New York. Extraordinarily candid, with a propensity for talking back to superiors, he was not the typical teacher wanting to just get on with it and keep the job. A firm believer in education not just about getting high test scores, but making one think, this Pulitzer prize-winning writer pays tribute to all teachers who put a hundred and one percent effort in their profession. A definite read for all teachers and everyone...

At the same time, I am also brushing up on history and finishing a book called Nazi Hunter. Last week, there was report of another Nazi arrest (which prompted me to do this reading). I am sure that at one time or another, you must have read, or seen a movie or two about this atrocious part of WWII, as I have, but this one is not just a must-read for the curious, but for one who wants to pay tribute to a race that had been so wronged, and to acknowledge the brave men and women (or their memories) who have risked life and limb to save humanity. (An example of the not-so-written about tortures: the brutal experiments done by Dr. Mengele, one of which was injecting dyes in the eyes of children to see if they would change colors, while they were alive.)

I'm sorry for this sad (and gory) post. I just feel that sometimes, we do need a shock treatment to remind us of how much better off we are in this day and age despite our own situations. A reminder of how short life is and how, as one of my friends puts it, we shouldn't be a cross to others, as life is hard enough as it is.

Just a reflection, my friends...have a good one. God bless!