Making the Irish American

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. This extremely thorough, thoughtful volume covers all the Irish bases up to the present. --Publishers WeeklyFeaturing 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 w