Book: A Monk Swimming

Book: A Monk Swimming by Malachy McCourt This bestselling memoir tells the story of Malachy McCourt, who left a childhood of poverty in Limerick, Ireland, heading for the promise of America. Armed with savage humor and a gift for storytelling, he ran from memories of a drunken, vanished father and the humiliations of Angela, his mother. He arrived in New York-a dark, glittering place, with saloons on every corner, and a new story waiting every night. Larger than life, a world-class drinker, McCourt carved out a place for himself: in the saloons, as the first celebrity bartender, on stage, performing the works of James Joyce and Brendan Behan; and on television, where the tales he spun made him a Tonight Show regular. He had money and women and, eventually, children of his own; and that's when he found he had not left his memories as far behind as he had thought. From the notorious Tombs prison in New York City, to poolside arrests in Beverly Hills; in the company of gold-smugglers in Zurich and whores in Calcutta; from Paris, to Rome, and to Limerick once more, McCourt fled again, until he had no choice but to stop and turn and face his past. Darkly funny, shockingly raw, and everywhere making the English language do tricks the British never intended, Malachy McCourt, a true original, tells his story with passion, wit, irreverence, and charm.