There are very few books that I wish I never bothered to pick up and read, but this is one of them! Frank McCourt wrote a beautifully insightful and humorous book, and then ruined the warm fuzzy feelings with his sequel. Rather than feeling empathetic towards the characters described in Tis: A Memoir, I felt pity and a certain amount of contempt. In this respect the author does succeed in evoking an emotional response from his readers, but I'm certain it is not the intended one. This is the story of a young struggling man, fresh off the boat from Ireland. He whines and complains and lets us know ad nauseum how unfair it all is. While his mother is treated with respect and care, his wife (neighbors, co-workers, students)suffer abuse. The style maybe the same as in Angela's Ashes, but with none of the humour and depth of human spirit.