ALA Booklist (Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 1995)

%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title A Land of Immigrants. %% SERIES LAST REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE, under Aliotta, Jerome. Gr. 58. (Reviewed Oct. 15. 1995)

Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1995)

Introduction by Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Each volume in this impressive series examines a particular group of immigrants and traces their history, from the impetus for emigration to reception in the United States and subsequent achievements and contributions. The most recent entries focus on the 1980s and up, to about 1990. 'A Land of Immigrants' provides an overview of North American immigration. Black-and-white photographs and reproductions are included along with an inset of color photographs. Bib., ind.

School Library Journal

Gr 7-12 Watts traces Irish history from its Celtic roots through famine and the continuing tragedy of political and religious strife. The emphasis of the book, however, is the history of the Irish in America: establishment of the Catholic Church as an educational and often political force; organization of victimized workers into labor unions; and the early Irish dominance of local urban politics and the Democratic Party. The changing status of Irish Americans is analyzed from their impoverished arrival as immigrants to their 20th-Century contributions in the workplace, public service, and the arts. Although Murphy and Driscoll's An Album of the Irish Americans (Watts, 1974; o.p.) offers larger photographs and a more sub-divided, conversational text, Watts' book has greater detail and currency. Both books cite Kennedy's election as the ultimate acceptance of the Irish, but Watts goes on to mention Ronald Reagan's Irish roots and such contemporary celebrities such as Jimmy Breslin and Mary McCarthy. The profusion of captioned black-and-white photographs, succinct text, bibliography, and index make this a useful addition to secondary libraries where curriculum or curiosity focuses on Irish Americans. Gerry Larson, Chewning Junior High School, Durham, N.C.