Featuring 29 classic and original essays on the turbulent; vital; and fascinating story of the Irish in America. The contributors include Linda Dowling Almeida; Margaret Lynch-Brennan; Marion R. Casey; David Noel Doyle; Pete Hamill; Kevin Kenny; Rebecca S. Miller; Mick Moloney; Daniel Patrick Moynihan; Peter Quinn; and Calvin Trillin.All it takes is one St. Patrick's Day in the United States to realize that the Irish did not dissolve into the melting pot; they took possession of it. Few other immigrant peoples have exerted such pervasive influence; have left so deep an impression; have made their values and concerns so central to the destiny of their new country.In Making the Irish American; J.J. Lee and Marion R. Casey offer a feast of twenty-nine perspectives on the turbulent; vital; endlessly fascinating story of the Irish in America. Combining original research with reprints of classic works; these essays and articles extend far beyond a survey to offer a truly rich understanding of the Irish immigrant impact on America; and America’s impact on the Irish immigrant. Here the reader will find a brisk; compact history of Ireland itself; and a wide-ranging critique of Irish American historiography; as well as explorations of the multiple complications of religion; reflected in the fluctuating; and sometimes tempestuous; relations between Catholic and Protestant Irish and Scotch-Irish. The authors explore the various channels through which the Irish; men and women; have made their mark; from politics to labor organization; from domestic service to popular and traditional music; from sport to step dancing.Classic reprints include Daniel Patrick Moynihan's study of the Irish in New York; Pete Hamill’s memoir of President Kennedy—recollecting the responses around him in Belfast at the time of the assassination—Calvin Trillin's New Yorker profile of Judge James J. Comerford; long the iron-handed boss of New York's St. Patrick's Day parade; and Peter Quinn's meditations on the essence of Irish America; past; present and future. They all offer sparkling insights into the evolving tension between becoming American and becoming Irish American.Making the Irish American is monumental in the best sense—serious but accessible; wide-ranging and far-reaching and enriched by seventy unique illustrations. This exciting and challenging collection belongs on the bookshelf of everyone interested in not only the Irish American; but the American story; of which they form so vivid and prominent a part.Copublished with the Glucksman Ireland House of New York University.
#732300 in Books 2011-04-11 2011-04-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .78 x 6.00l; .86 #File Name: 0814707726294 pages
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Inspiring and eye-openingBy CustomerI ordered this book to deepen my research on the s of the ancient African kingdom known as Dahomey. My earlier research barely scratched the surface of what this book reveals; and offers a look inside the lives of these women through the eyes of men who had traveled through Dahomey as well as some oral traditions passed down through generations. These women were fierce: strong; merciless; and according to the sources; stronger and braver than the men! While some of the terms used may feel offensive to a modern day woman; the reader must keep in mind that the sources quoted are white men that lived in the 18th-19th centuries. Their views are prejudiced as well as sexist; but one must make allowances for the time in which these men existed. Most of them; while prejudiced; had to admit (even grudgingly) that these women were a force to be reckoned with. Some even called them 'beautiful' and awe-inspiring. I definitely gleaned more than enough from this book for my research and have become inspired by the strength of these women and the mark they made on history7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. What A Pleasant SurpriseBy Karen Tracie NewkirkI've always been leery of ordering anything online. You know the usual fears of your private information being on the net or getting an item that's not up to par. However while visiting and surfing on ; I found a book that I was just captivated by and had to purchase. The name of the book is:s Of Black Sparta;The Women Warriors Of Dahomey. I find the subject matter in the book facsinating although the book itself reads a little bit like and encyclopedia. However the book consists of a lot of dates and historical facts that one might find interesting. And the history of African Women Warriors in a kindom empire called Dahomey is a history that I know many people aren't familiar with. So for that alone this book is a little treasure. The book although slightly used arrived on time and in good condition and I am well pleased with those facts.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. DisappointingBy GenePI was expecting a much more insightful; engaging read than it is. It was a compilation of comments from people who observed these women without much real depth.
