Things to Know

Before a reader starts Angela's Ashes they might want to consider what it is like to live in poverty because in the book the McCourt family spends all of it's time in poverty. It would be beneficial if the reader knew a little bit about Ireland's history with England and what life was like in Ireland during WWII and why it became so impoverished. This would help clarify the hate Frank's relatives had toward the British.


http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/176916/Easter-Rising
The article in the link above is from the Encyclopædia Britannica and it describes the Easter Rebellion; A battle in which the Irish fought to overthrow the British. The Easter Rebellion caused many indifferent Irish to have anti-British feelings. This shows a little of bit of Ireland's history with Britain, a necessary subject that what the reader might need to know before reading the book.

Clips :30-1:33, 3:15-4:00, of this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJhtNOkB07I&feature=related describes and shows a little bit of Ireland's poverty still existing 20 years after the war. These video clips do not show hardships as extreme as the ones in Angela's Ashes, but it gives enough of a glimpse to show you why characters in the book are driven to do desperate things.