Three decades ago a chance meeting brought the author to the isolated Roscommon cottage where his grandmother; Kate McCormack and five of her siblings; over a century earlier; had bid tearful farewells to their family and sailed off into the west to new lives in America. This book follows their journey to a new land and the author's quest to come to know two generations of a family divided by an ocean and nearly forgotten by time. Along the way; the dramatic history of late-19th and early-20th century Ireland and America comes alive as the McCormack family and their neighbors struggle with the challenges and seize the opportunities presented by those turbulent times. The book demonstrates how the "big picture" of history can be viewed through the individual portraits of those who make it and also addresses the difficult problems facing those who undertake such a project - to rescue the history of average people from obscurity by using the scattered remnants of their past. The McCormacks who made the long journey to America and the loved ones they left at home are long dead; but family photos; letters; oral histories; public and parochial records reveal the lives they lived.
#374589 in Books Haus Publishing 2009-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.00 x 6.00l; 1.45 #File Name: 1905791933304 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A Highly Detailed and Accurate Review of Facts.By Prasad M. SamarajivaA controversy is skillfully dissected by Charles Allen in this treatise. By taking the reader to current politics in the areas Buddha used to wander; Mr. Allen perfectly sets the stage in his Preface to explain politics of that area some 2;600 years ago. Then he takes us to the Prologue to explain politics of Buddha's time. I highly recommend reading the preface so that a reader unfamiliar with Buddhist history can correlate today to Buddha's time. Then he takes the reader to a highly detailed and factually accurate account of the controversy. I am amazed by the effort Mr. Allen took in providing an account of the controversy in this manner from the days of British India to the era of Internet. However; I am slightly; very slightly; disappointed that the book does not include clear pictures of the vase inscription captured through a modern day high-resolution camera. Nevertheless; this book kept me riveted all the way through.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Partly scholarly but not so readableBy Mahendra AnÄgÄrikaI ordered this book based on the other book I had read by the same author (The search for the Buddha). However; I was disappointed in this book. It's full of grammatical errors; misspellings and certain sentences with missing is/are etc. So; it's hard to maintain the flow of reading.Also; at many places; the author keeps on going back and forth with many details that may or may not be relevant. I also got the impression that somehow the Peppe family was financing this book. Some place it's stated that the conference took place in 1996 but some other places state in 2006. So; overall; I would give this book a rating of 2 stars.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. This is a scholarly book. It's focus is more ...By Angus CunninghamThis is a scholarly book. It's focus is more on the nature of relationships among the early pioneers of modernizing archaeology in a country where huge potential for archaeological discovery needed organization than about Dr. Fuhrer or Gautama Siddhartha (Sakyamnuni buddha). As a son of the British Raj; I found lots of personal details that enthralled me. However; anyone may read this book as a fascinating and empathic study of human nature and our attempts to relearn the values that; still today; we must live by -- values already known and written about before the time of Jesus.
