The 20 Books Every Irish American Should Read
New York Public Library
Tom Deignan, writer of the weekly Sidewalks column in the Irish Voice and author of Irish Americans, spoke at the Mid-Manhattan, West New Brighton, and Riverdale libraries last month. The occasion was Immigrant Heritage Week — celebrated yearly in New York City — a great time to remember and honor our immigrant forebears. He has quite an encyclopedic knowledge on the topic of Irish America, and this time he chose to present 20 books that he considers to be required reading for Irish Americans.
In no particular order, here they are:
... Banished Children of Eve, by Peter Quinn. A story set during New York's Civil War Draft Riots. Lincoln needed bodies; the Irish were coming in droves; and New York was almost burned down.