This book may be one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read.  The style of writing, the point of view, and the vivid details put me right in the room with the author as he was living out his childhood in his dilapidated little home in Limerick, Ireland.  Loved it.  His story is definitely a sad one – extreme poverty, an alcoholic and absent father, the death of three siblings – but he doesn’t seem to feel the least bit sorry for himself.  He accepts the life he’s been given and when he’s old enough to change it, he takes a tremendous step to do so.

Even more enjoyable than reading this book was getting together with my girlfriends to discuss it at our monthly book club meeting yesterday.  I love these ladies – though we only spend minutes actually discussing the book, we spend hours at our special table at the bakery, chatting and laughing and catching up with one another.  This little gathering has become something that I look forward to all month long, whether I like what we’re reading or not.  Next on the list?  Well…according to our rotation of easy page-turners, memoirs, and classics, we should be reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin this month.  But it seems most of us just weren’t up to the challenge right now, so it’s ‘choose your own adventure’ month.  And it turns out that I was the only one at the table yesterday who hasn’t read Twilight yet, so for the sake of inclusiveness, I’m putting aside my presuppositions and giving into the hype.  Bring on the vampires…