Review by Booklist Review
History professor Dolan clearly views the Irish experience in America as a success story although it is more than a century since the last great wave of Irish immigration to the U.S., millions of Americans still proudly identify themselves as Irish. This compact, well-written, and enjoyable survey of three centuries of Irish American history is a celebration of that experience. Dolan focuses on the themes of politics, religion, labor, and nationalism. He doesn't shy away from depicting the sadder aspects of the saga, including the journeys on death ships of those fleeing the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, the blatant hatred expressed against Catholic Irish immigrants, and the brutal struggle in the mines and factories for better working conditions. Still, Dolan paints a portrait of steady and determined advancement. Although he concentrates on the Catholic Irish population, Dolan also pays tribute to the predominantly Protestant Ulster Irish (the so-called Scotch Irish) who constituted the bulk of Irish immigration in the eighteenth century. This excellent work of ethnic history is ideal for general readers.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Four dominant themes in Irish-American history emerge from this new study by Dolan (The American Catholic Experience: A History from Colonial Times to the Present), professor emeritus of history at the University of Notre Dame. These four are politics, religion, labor and nationalism. Beginning in 1729, when a decline in the linen trade and a poor harvest sparked a rush to America, Dolan traces the exodus to the beckoning colonies, swelling to 400,000 Irish in the U.S. by 1784. Millions more arrived after the 1840s potato famine, etched here in a vivid portrait of hunger and death. Over the next century, the American Catholic Church grew in prestige, as did Irish-American political power, confirmed by Al Smith's 1928 presidential campaign and capped in 1960 by the "razor-thin victory" of JFK. Closing chapters cover the post-WWII changes in urban Irish neighborhoods, Hollywood's celebration of Catholic culture and the Irish "who rode the economic escalator up to middle-class respectability." Dolan doesn't whitewash history: he notes the "rogues' gallery of Irish politicians" and continuing pockets of Irish-American poverty. His writing is colorful and comprehensive with impeccable scholarship evident throughout. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Verdict: A celebratory history of Irish Americans suitable for libraries that already have more balanced assessments. Background: Dolan (The American Catholic Experience) surveys the Irish American presence in the New World from the 18th century-when Irishmen on the frontier traded with Native Americans and first gathered to celebrate St. Patrick's Day-to its ongoing evolution. The author addresses contemporary Irish American identity in his final chapter, "It's Chic To Be Irish," where he contends that even people with dual (or more) heritages emphasize their Irish identity because positive "Irish" traits like gregariousness, wit, and charm enable them to identify vicariously with the underdog and still claim the Irish success story.-Susan G. Baird, Chicago (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Adult/High School-Drawing on his own extensive research as well as recent work by numerous colleagues, Dolan offers an important contribution to American ethnic history. Tackling a large and complex story, he manages to retain readability amid solid scholarship. He clearly establishes the significance of the Church in the history of Irish Americans. In addition to its role, the author explores two other central themes: the enormous influence extreme poverty had on the lives of these people, and the gradual, often rocky, road to full assimilation and social acceptance. Dolan begins his story in Ireland, detailing how conditions went beyond harsh to intolerable. Driven out of their homeland by starvation; an antiquated system of land ownership; and cruel, misguided British politics, thousands of Irish immigrated to the United States in the latter half of the 19th century. For most, their lot improved, but only slightly. The next generation, however, fared better, and, by the mid-20th century, was not so much poor Irish as middle-class American. By the end of the century, it even became "chic to be Irish." Many teens will find this book accessible and at times engrossing, and it will be valuable to those engaged in ethnic studies.-Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A leading authority on American Catholicism distills a complete history of the ethnic group that constitutes a major portion of the religion's adherents. Dolan (In Search of an American Catholicism, 2002, etc.) offers a lucid blend of political, religious, labor and national history. He keeps a firm grip on a wide array of material, shifting neatly between Ireland and America, as well as between large narratives of change and particular stories of representative individuals. In a major contribution, Dolan gives fresh emphasis to the forgotten period before the Great Famine of the mid-1840s. He begins his account with the migration of 250,000 Irish to America before the Revolution, a time when both Catholics and Protestants regarded themselves as Irish. He then shows sectarianism and bigotry taking hold after 1790 as Irish immigrants were exclusively identified as Catholics, commonly viewed as inferior and un-American. These conditions prevailed when the Great Famine intensified Irish migration to urban America in the mid-19th century. Nevertheless, the Irish made themselves a success by establishing their loyalty to the United States, building potent political machines, leading labor movements and developing a powerful Catholic Church marked by a new style of devotional worship. In 1928 the failed presidential campaign of Al Smith, the Democratic Party nominee, demonstrated how far Irish Catholics had come, but also how far they still had to go. In contrast, Kennedy's victory in 1960 was an unequivocal moment of triumph for Irish-Americans. By the end of the 20th century it was positively chic to be Irish, asserts Dolan. His balanced, inclusive book is clear and well organized; only his flat prose undermines an otherwise strong work. Accomplished and encompassing, though not elegantly written. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
