Academy of Achievement Logo
Home
Achiever Gallery
Keys to Success
Achievement Podcasts
About the Academy
For Teachers

Search the site

Academy Careers

 
Frank McCourt 2008, Pulitzer Prize for Biography

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Permalink: Email Video

Frank McCourt 2008 Video

Pulitzer Prize for Biography
Introduction

"F. Scott Fitzgerald said there are no second acts in American lives. I think I've proved him wrong. And all because I refused to settle for a one-act existence, the 30 years I taught English in various New York City high schools." Frank McCourt was already retired when he published his first book at age 66. Angela's Ashes, a memoir of his impoverished boyhood in Limerick, Ireland, shot to the top of the best-seller lists and remained there for over a year. Angela's Ashes won McCourt the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. It was still topping the paperback lists when McCourt's second book 'Tis hit the bookstores, and the best-seller lists. A third bestseller, Teacher Man, recounts his years teaching in the New York City public schools. "After retiring from teaching I wanted a second act, not a rocker in Florida," McCourt says. After a lifetime of helping young people find their own voices, Frank McCourt has found his own, and millions of readers have found a friend to treasure.



View More Podcasts
Each of the symposium presentations are excerpts from the 48-year history of International Achievement Summits. The audience is comprised of hundreds of promising young people selected to attend by the Academy.
Filter by: Most Recent, By Name
Olivia de Havilland 2001, Two Oscars for Best Actress

Olivia de Havilland 2001

Two Oscars for Best Actress
Sally Field 2008, Two Oscars for Best Actress

Sally Field 2008

Two Oscars for Best Actress
Dr. Susan Hockfield 2008, President of MIT

Dr. Susan Hockfield 2008

President of MIT
Dereck and Beverly Joubert 2009, Award-winning Documentary Filmmakers

Dereck and Beverly Joubert 2009

Award-winning Documentary Filmmakers
Alexander McCall Smith 2009<br />(Part 1), Best-selling Author

Alexander McCall Smith 2009
(Part 1)

Best-selling Author
Alexander McCall Smith 2009<br />(Part 2), Best-selling Author

Alexander McCall Smith 2009
(Part 2)

Best-selling Author
Frank McCourt 2008, Pulitzer Prize for Biography

Frank McCourt 2008

Pulitzer Prize for Biography
The Hon. Navanethem Pillay 2009, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

The Hon. Navanethem Pillay 2009

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Anthony Romero and <br />Chris Matthews 2009 (Part 1), Executive Director, ACLU with the <br />Host of

Anthony Romero and
Chris Matthews 2009 (Part 1)

Executive Director, ACLU with the
Host of "Hardball"
Anthony Romero and <br />Chris Matthews 2009 (Part 2), Executive Director, ACLU with the <br />Host of

Anthony Romero and
Chris Matthews 2009 (Part 2)

Executive Director, ACLU with the
Host of "Hardball"
The Hon. Albie Sachs 2009, Constitutional Court of South Africa

The Hon. Albie Sachs 2009

Constitutional Court of South Africa
Elie Wiesel 2007, Nobel Prize for Peace

Elie Wiesel 2007

Nobel Prize for Peace