"Angela's Ashes" is a controversial book and one that had an even more controversial repercussion helped him to shape people's intense reaction to this book.
This book recounts the memories of its author, McCourt, living in a backward region, with neglectful parents, precocious sexuality, hopelessness, death and poor quality of life. In addition, McCourt expresses depressing and derogatory thoughts within controversial memories and with a strong psychological content.
Because it is a book with strong and impactful themes, many people did not like the book because they believe that the author exaggerates and glamorizes the suffering and broken personal relationships. Other people, however, liked the book because it portrays a reality that many people go through and that the governments and people favored in society do not care.
Many events narrated in the book were denied by witnesses and people who lived with McCourt, which favored the negative reception that the book received. McCourt himself claims that he has modified some situations to make the narrative more fluid and engaging.