Making the Irish American History and Heritage of the Irish in the United States

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction."This lavish compendium looks at the Irish and America from a variety of perspectives." --"USA Today""For 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 Reviews""From 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 America""This extremely thorough, thoughtful volume covers all the Irish bases up to the present."--"Publishers Weekly""For 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 Review""In "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 Press"This will be a valued reference book for many years to come. --TheWildGeese.com"This 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. This extremely thorough, thoughtful volume covers all the Irish bases up to the present." --"Publishers Weekly"thoroughly researched yet easy-to-read... --ForeWord Magazine 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 realizethat 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 underCasey, Marion is the author of 'Making the Irish American History and Heritage of the Irish in the United States', published 2007 under ISBN 9780814752180 and ISBN 0814752187.