A Long Stone's Throw by Alphie McCourt

Before I really get started, let me first say that I normally am not particularly interested in biographies or autobiographies. On a few occasions, a person's life has caught my attention enough to make me want to read more about them, but generally, it's just not my thing. That being said, here's what I thought about Alphie McCourt's A Long Stone's Throw.

I picked up A Long Stone's Throw because I hoped it would capture me in the way that Frank McCourt's books did, but sadly, that was not the case. It is rare that I have trouble finishing a book, but this simply did not grab me.

I think that the difference was that Frank McCourt's works are about his struggle to overcome hardship, but also his continual success in doing so. Alphie McCourt seemed, on the other hand, to be what I fear becoming myself. He struggles constantly through this memoir, and time after time, he fails. The underlying message, I suppose, is that you simply cannot give up. You must trudge on and try something else if whatever you're doing isn't working. It may be that I had difficulty in finishing this book because I saw too much of myself in it, but I just prefer to read stories with more hope than this one offered.

Frank and Alphie McCourt have another brother, Malachy, who is himself a published author, and I believe has done some work in the film industry, and I still intend to check out his work...but for now, my favorite McCourt author is still Frank. However, I am not at all sorry that I read this...I think a dose of reality is healthy from time to time, no matter how hard it can be to take.

I haven't yet decided what to pick up next, but when I do, I'll let y'all know!

*EDIT*
I do want to make one thing clear: this book did end well. It wasn't completely devoid of hope or happiness. It just took a lot longer for Alphie McCourt to find stability and contentment. I very much respect the fact that he trudged on and struggled through in spite of failures. I don't want you to think that it was a complete downer. It was heavy, but it did end well.