My Days of Anger

by James T. Farrell, Charles Fanning PhD (Introduction)

The fourth novel in James T. Farrell’s pentalogy chronicles Danny O’Neill’s coming of age. Recording his reactions to initiation into college life at the University of Chicago and the imminent death of his grandmother, one of his primary caretakers, Danny realizes the value of time and gains confidence in his writing abilities. As he works on his first novel, he prepares to leave his family, his Catholicism, and his neighborhood in Chicago behind for a new life as a writer in New York.

Genres: Fiction

311 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1943

About the author

James Thomas Farrell was an American novelist. One of his most famous works was the Studs Lonigan trilogy, which was made into a film in 1960 and into a television miniseries in 1979. The trilogy was voted number 29 on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Christopher Miller]

I didn't write a review the first time I read this, because I went onto what was published next, not knowing that the next volume, The Face of Time, takes place before A World I never made. So this is actually the end of the Danny O'Neil series.
The first and last book have some parallels. Danny learns about God and Santa in both. He loses a grandparent at the end of each. He has something of a love interest in each, with the innocent childhood infatuation with Roslyn Hayes contrasted with the carnal comfort he has with Georgia, one of the very few characters to not get a last name.
Wonderful writing, the whole series. There's so many scenes that live on in my mind, and so much to think about. That's so vague, so just as an example: There's a part where Danny is thinking about the calm before yet another family blowup. It had been a nice Christmas up to a point. That calm was real, he realizes, it just hadn't lasted. I spend a lot of time reflecting on that.
The series has, several times, made me both laugh and cry. I don't think much more could be asked for from any book.

Non-spoiler alert, on the off chance any other human ever plans to read the works of James T. Farrell: Read Ellen Rogers before this, since this book spoils it. I am reading it next.

[Veronica]

After first being introduced to James T. Farrell after reading The Studs Lonigan Trilogy in January 2011, I put him high up on the literary pedestal. Farrell made it under my Christmas tree and was opened with as much excitement as that special gift a child requests from the old man up North.

Alas, it was not the book I longed for and surprisingly was published after the trilogy so I thought it would potentially surpass it in quality. I kept hoping it would improve, but it seemed to maintain the whining tone of an unsure young man finding his way in the world. I get that this was what is was supposed to portray, however, I found it tiresome and dull. Such a prolific writer can’t be expected to hit them all out of the park and I will certainly not let this one turn me against Mr. Farrell.

I’d love to talk politics with this man and perhaps Mr. Farrell would share some stories of his involvement in the Workers’ Party. How does one produce such volumes of work astounds me and I hope I’d get to know more about his processes.

A young Irish Catholic man growing up in Chicago watches his family and friends struggle financially and is determined not to meet the same fate. He works at a gas station to put himself through college and fights to resist the urges of life on the streets.

Danny O’Neill, Farrell’s likely alter ego struggles to get an education to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer. He watches his family suffer financially and does not want to be destined to live that same life. He faces class distinction at work, at school and understands more clearly the struggles of his relatives. His religious upbringing instills much guilt and prevents him from straying too far from the moral high ground, yet he eventually denounces his faith and is determined to become a writer.

Uncle to Danny, Al O’Flaherty is a hardworking man, supporting an extended family and trying to mentor and encourage his much-loved nephew. He too enjoys reading, but his approach to literary discussion falls on the deaf ears of a sullen young man.

Ed Lanson, a local young man has returned from the sea amid rumors that his departure drove a local girl to suicide. He is a fast talker and always looking to make a quick buck with some questionable acts. He is always ready for a fight and seems to act as protector to Danny.

My rating for My Days of Anger is a 7 out of 10.

[Nicholas George]

Odd, affecting story of a working-class Irish kid in Chicago, determined on being "successful" in life but unsure of what that really means. The tale of his journey contains many cliches, as well as strikingly beautiful and insightful passages that hint at the story of Holden Caulfield a few years later.