Making the Irish American

Making the Irish American

Author: Lee, J. J. (EDT)/ Casey, Marion R. (EDT)
Category: United States - General
ISBN: 9780814752180
Format : Paperback
Publisher : New York University Press

  

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.Most will find this book alone as satisfying as a plate of praties or an endearing tin-whistle tune. --Foreword MagazineThis lavish compendium looks at the Irish and America from a variety of perspectives. --USA TodayFor anyone with the slightest interest in the history of Irish immigrants in America, Lee and Casey''s book is a wonderful foundation on which to build a knowledge base.--Northeast Book ReviewsFrom the double-meaning of its title to its roster of impressive contributors, Making the Irish American is destined for the bookshelves of all readers who aim to keep up on Irish-American history. --Irish AmericaThis extremely thorough, thoughtful volume covers all the Irish bases up to the present.--Publishers WeeklyFor the astute editorial selection of the number of general and somewhat specialized articles, expertise of the authors, and documentation in articles and appendices plus notes and biographies, Making the Irish American is a major text tying together this field of ethnic studies with American history and social history.--Midwest Book ReviewIrish America- a land of pubs, politics, music, stories and St. Patricks Day. But of course, it''s also so much more....Making the Irish American is one of the most comprehensive books of its kind.--NYU TodayIn Making the Irish American, editors J.J. Lee and Marion R. Casey have compiled an illustrated 700-page volume that traces the history of the Irish in the United States and shows the impact America has had on its Irish immigrants and vice versa. The book''s 29 articles deal with various aspects of Irish-American life, including labor and unions, discrimination, politics, sports, entertainment and nationalism, as well as the future of Irish America. Among the contributors are Calvin Trillin, Pete Hamill, Daniel Patrick Moynihan and the editors. --Associated PressThis massive volume, copublished with Glucksman Ireland House at NYU, covers the Americanization of the Irish in 29 chapters. Eileen Reilly takes a comprehensive, albeit sanitized, look at the history of Ireland up to the present, covering everything from famine to the Good Friday accords. One thing that stands out is the remarkable misogynistic burden that Eamon DeValera''s policies placed on Irish women (a married woman could not teach, and the government seemed to have a vested interest in her sexual habits, even through the 1980s). As the Irish inundated America during the Great Famine, we see them crawl up the ladder of success with the help of the ''Ubiquitous Bridget, '' the indispensable Irish maids whose work spanned two centuries. Novelist Peter Quinn looks at ''Irish progress from Paddies to Pats.'' The importance of labor unions in the rise of the Irish into the middle class is documented, as well as how, through battle in two world wars, the Irish finally earned their acceptance as nonhyphenated Americans, capped off by John F. Kennedy''s election as president in 1960. Th