Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt Life can be hard. A hard but hopeless life can be devastating. The first 19 years of life for Frank McCourt, author of the 364-page biography Angela's Ashes, were very difficult and full of changes. Originally published in 1996, Angela's Ashes shows the reader the life of a poor Irish Catholic family through the eyes of a young boy. Frank McCourt was born in New York in the 1930s, but his family returned to Ireland when he was a child and much of his story is set in Limerick. The biography focuses on the many hardships that took place over the years in Limerick, Ireland, including moments such as the deaths of three of his younger brothers, or the times when his father drank all the money he had earned for just a few drink. at the pub. Throughout the biography, Frank realizes that difficulties, sometimes comical, sometimes depressing, are part of life and ultimately do not weaken someone, but in Frank's case make him stronger. As shown throughout his biography, Frank McCourt's strength and courage were used as a weapon to help him overcome the poverty in his life. It was very evident in the story that Frank McCourt wanted to make something of his life. He wouldn't have life's difficulties ruin him forever, but more likely life's challenges would have pushed him to reach further and work harder for a better life..