Neil's Response to Patrick's First Reader Response

Dear Patrick,
               I completely agree that Angela's Ashes  by Frank McCourt is an extremely moving story, and I have already learned so many life lessons from the novel. I am so much more thankful of what I have and am appreciating life a lot more. Prior to the reading, I was expecting the book to focus on Angela, Frank's mother, as a rock of the family, but noticed she also had her faults too. I figured the father was going to be a heavy drinker and negative influence to the children, which he was. I also agree that I wondered how on Earth religion especially could affect one's lifestyle so much am surprised with the results. I am so frustrated with Frank's father's drinking problem and how it is destroying the family. Why doesn't he want to stop? I wonder. This link shares ten tips to help an alcoholic become sober; I truly believe this could have helped the family in times of need. http://www.stopdrinkingadvice.org/10-tips-to-help-quit-drinking/ From the story, I have mainly learned to be thankful for what I have and to not take anything for granted, after watching three children die. I know never to drink and to always make decisions that will help, not hurt, others in my family. Like you, I have also learned not to judge any culture or race or religion, because not all are how they are seen, like you said with the Muslim people. There are many "bright" parts of the story that I have been pleased to read, one being Frank's ability to keep his father from drinking twice. I also love it when the family does get a plentiful, warm meal and are happy and warm. The children deserve to be fed and be kept warm. The random acts of kindness of strangers also make me feel good inside. (haha) Without these acts of kindness, the family would have been much worse off and make not have been able to survive. I hope that I would do the same to someone like them. Overall, I have been grateful for what I have, have learned not to judge, and have learned to help others in desperate times of needs in the first 90 pages. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book; it isn't a happy book, but evokes emotion from me, which is something a book must do in order to be great. I can't wait to keep reading. Good luck!

                                                                                                                                  Yours truly,
                                                                                                                                          Neil J.