Why read Becoming Irish American?

Book cover of Becoming Irish American: The Making and Remaking of a People from Roanoke to JFK

Book description

The origins and evolution of Irish American identity, from colonial times through the twentieth century

"Subtly provocative. . . . [Meagher] traces the making and remaking of Irish America through several iterations and shows the impact of religion on each."-Terry Golway, Wall Street Journal

As millions of Irish…

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American history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Becoming Irish American as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Colum Kenny

Author

I get very frustrated by narrow stereotypes of Irish Americans, which are based perhaps on images of festivities by firemen at some St Patrick’s Day parade in New York.

On my travels across America down the years, especially when I get beyond New York, Boston, and Chicago, I have been delighted to find a whole spectrum of Irish Americans, and I am glad to find such diversity reflected here. This book is a BIG read, but the sheer scale of what Meagher delivers makes it clear that old stereotypes of Irish America were never adequate.

From Colum's list on The best books for people to learn about Irish America.