Story We Carry in Our Bones, The: Irish History for Americans - Tapa dura

Forty million Americans count themselves as Irish American, but enduring links to their Irish heritage often got lost at Ellis Island. Professor Juilene Osborne-McKnight, who teaches Irish literature, mythology and diaspora studies at DeSales University wants to help redress that with her new book The Story We Carry in Our Bones: Irish History for Americans. Unable to find a book that covered every aspect of her own Irish studies background, she decided the thing to do was write it herself. Osborne-McKnight focuses on ancient Ireland, the arrival of Christianity, the success of waves of invaders and the mass migrations that would change Irish history and help shape American history. Her intent is to broadly tell the story of every Irish Americans ancestry for a general reader, and in this she succeeds admirably. Irelands history is epic, from its prehistoric sun forts to the transformative Easter Rising. Its a story that Osborne-McKnight insists we carry in our bones. -- Cahir O'Doherty, Irish Central, 8 Jan, 2016 This book is divided into 4 sections (Knock Wood and Light the Pumpkin, Keeping Faith at the Cross Road, No One Leaves Your Table Hungry, and Irish Roots and Rising Irish) that break down the history of pre-Ireland, Ireland and then the vast migration to America. It is an interesting look at the 'old country' and how Ireland evolved from the legendary Celts and Vikings, into a land taken by the English, before seeking independence. There are thinks you might not know, like the episode above, how the Choctaw Indians in America send money to Ireland to help out during the Famine. It helps you to understand how the Irish spirit is so integrated into the American frontier and traditions, and just how many influential Irish Americans there were. If you have Irish ancestors, you will definitely want to check out this book, for its great background, and even geneaological info (like the ports of entry above). This is a great reference book that your kids will go back to over and over. It would also make a great gift idea for the history lover! -- Nicole Henke, 6 Jan, 2016 Juilene Osborne-McKnight's book is an exhaustively-researched look at Ireland - the island, the people, the history and the myths. It's not a dry, dusty academic text, but neither is it a romanticized, rose-tinted look at the Emerald Isle, and it's written in a clear, concise story-telling style. -- Stephen Rea, author of Finn McCool's Football Club, 27 March, 2015

The ancient legends and ancestral legacy of the Emerald Isle. "We will know them in the deep genetic river of our ancestry, Irish at the marrow, carrying the story in our bones, in our very bones." -from Part 4 From 3800 B.C. to the twentieth century, this comprehensive history examines the course of Irish-Americans. Celtic legends, the evolution of Christianity, the coming of the Vikings, and the time of the Tudors are just some of the topics covered in these pages. Juilene Osborne-McKnight addresses the events leading up the An Gorta Mor, or the Great Hunger, which initiated the Irish immigration to America. She then follows the Irish as they travel to the new country and establish themselves as Irish-Americans. Whimsical yet complex Celtic drawings and an annotated bibliography of recommended books and movies accent each part. The four sections are entitled "Knock Wood and Light the Pumpkin," "Keeping Faith at the Cross Road," "No One Leaves Your Table Hungry," and "Irish Roots and Rising Irish."