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Irish Americans, The: A History (2014)

by Jay P. Dolan(Favorite Author)

3.48 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1491586494 (ISBN13: 9781491586495)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Brilliance Audio

review 1: This book is one that will resonate with so many Americans. Like most Americans I am something of a "Heinz 59" and Irish is definitely in the mix. I think a lot of people can identify with that. Having Irish in one's background is something to be proud of and when you read Dolan's book you will understand why. The immigrants from Ireland have not had an easy ride in American history. In fact, they have not an easy ride before migration to North America. The deprivations faced by this people group required a lot of intestinal fortitude. When the challenge arose the Irish were able to overcome the odds and etch out a place in our nation's story. Jay Dolan brings the social history of the Irish in America to life. Here are a few of the positive and negative aspect to his book... more.Mr. Dolan put a lot of time and effort into this work. He packs every page with excellent information and some of the anecdotes are nice additions to the main story-line. I am a historian and there was a lot of things he filled in about Irish history that I was unaware of. He really put the migration of the Irish to America in a good context. After the Irish arrived they had to work jobs that were less than desirable because that's all they could get. They proved to be industrious and willing to do what needed to be done. This tough, hard-working, ambitious nature made the Irish valuable to our history. They came here with the express purpose of succeeding and so often they did. The Irish, although white, had to deal with racism in the United Kingdom and here as well. Of course, the Irish had their own racist sentiments to deal with as well. The relationship between the Irish and the African American community demonstrates that even victims can become perpetrators. As they integrated in American life they became more accepted, yet integration did not mean extinction for their culture and identity.His explanation of Irish culture highlights how extremely loyal they are to their families and communities. When placed inside the political setting it proved to be interesting although often corrupt. Nepotism, patronage and downright bribery were some of the factors that ran the machine. I remember reading about Tammany Hall and also about the Daley machine in Chicago in one of my political science classes. He talks about the corruption of these two in this book. He is fair however, and focuses on some positive political forces as well. There were many in the Irish political machinery that wanted to reform and clean up some of the corruption. I was especially interested in the things he had to say about President Kennedy's grandfather John Fitzgerald as they shed light on President Kennedy as well. His assessment of the importance of the Catholic church in the Irish community was very enlightening although I knew some about it already. The church often helped reform while at other times it exercised domination over the life of the community. I thought that he was unbiased in his representation of the Catholic church neither shying away from criticism or pandering to it. Not only would this book be beneficial to a religious group but the book would also be helpful in the study of labor movements. The Irish don't mind standing up for their rights and at the heart of these reforms in labor stand the Irish pushing and pulling the cart of progress forward.The few negative things I have to say are slightly petty. Parts of the book were boring. The chapters were long and sometimes hard to get through. I like to read a chapter a day, and I would rather have 25 shorter chapters than 13 really long ones, but that is just a personal preference. I wish he would have interacted with more primary source documents and it would have been nice if he had included pictures. I realize why he didn't in that it is a big printing cost. Nevertheless, it would have added a nice dimension to the book. I wish he would have spent more time talking about the Scotch Irish. He does talk briefly about them but he never really discussed the role of their churches on the Irish community. I also wished he would have spent more time talking about rural Irish communities like the one that Andrew Jackson was born in. He can be repetitive at times and his organization is little hard to follow. I think however, that it is possible that this is just a personal issue. He is linear but he jumps around sometimes and that makes it harder for me to follow.Despite these minor issues I can say this would be a great addition to your library. If you are a teacher, a history buff or just an Irish American looking to learn more than this book is excellent. The language of the book is accessible and there is a wealth of information that you can mine here. It is a great starting place for your study but it is not restricted to just "starters." It's chic to be Irish as Dolan says. He says that when most people are asked about their ethnicity it is Irish that they will usually claim. I think it is because the people are scrapers and they often strive hard to get ahead in life. There is a passionate nature in Ireland that I think that resonates with many people. Plus, in a way the Irish are the classic underdog. When they come to America they are often not wanted and their religion frightens many Anglo-Americans. However, a little over a century later they have one of their own in the White House. They are a people with faults but they have made a unique impression on American life.
review 2: This book reads a lot like a textbook and I think it was set up to be one rather than a book that someone can pick up and read for pleasure. The book covers the history of the Irish in America extensively. Even though it is a extensive history, and there is a lot of history, I was bored. A lot of the information is repeated several times. It took me quite a long time to read this book. I had trouble really getting into it because it is dry. Even though the author obviously knows a lot about the subject the wiriting does not draw you into the book. If you are looking for a book to give you a lot of names and information this is the book that you need. It was easy to skim over the information while getting the idea which wasn’t what I wanted to do but the writing just wasn’t very exciting. less

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