From the National Book Award–winning and best-selling author Timothy Egan comes the epic story of one of the most fascinating and colorful Irishman in nineteenth-century America. The Irish-American story; with all its twists and triumphs; is told through the improbable life of one man. A dashing young orator during the Great Famine of the 1840s; in which a million of his Irish countrymen died; Thomas Francis Meagher led a failed uprising against British rule; for which he was banished to a Tasmanian prison colony. He escaped and six months later was heralded in the streets of New York — the revolutionary hero; back from the dead; at the dawn of the great Irish immigration to America. Meagher’s rebirth in America included his leading the newly formed Irish Brigade from New York in many of the fiercest battles of the Civil War — Bull Run; Antietam; Fredericksburg. Twice shot from his horse while leading charges; left for dead in the Virginia mud; Meagher’s dream was that Irish-American troops; seasoned by war; would return to Ireland and liberate their homeland from British rule. The hero's last chapter; as territorial governor of Montana; was a romantic quest for a true home in the far frontier. His death has long been a mystery to which Egan brings haunting; colorful new evidence.
#6917298 in Books Cambridge University Press 2007-01-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .94 x 5.43l; 1.34 #File Name: 0521846668364 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. fascinating overview of Jewish culture and role in medieval historyBy westwindThe great Jewish historian Salo Baron critized the prevelant ''lachrymose conception of Jewish history;'' which depicts Jews primarily as victims. Chazan is an excellent example of what Baron hoped for: he writes Jewish history not as a martyrology; but as an objective historian; interested in who the Jews were; what they created; what was important to them; how they flourished and adapted as well as survived. It makes for a fresh and very interesting look at the medieval period for all readers.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The book was somewhat helpful. It does have a ...By Lisa MThe book was somewhat helpful . It does have a lot of facts in it.3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Interesting; but a bit repetitiveBy K. HoweThere is plenty of useful and interesting information in this book; and on the whole; it's presented well. Much of the information is repeated in several places; but the author's structure makes it difficult to avoid this problem; and his structure seems adequate compared to other possible structures he might have followed.I did constantly find myself wondering; while reading this book; what the author meant by "creativity" with reference to the Jews. He never gives anything like a definition of the term as he intends it; which makes me suspect that the author himself doesn't quite know what he means by it.All in all; an interesting overview of exactly the subject the title suggests.
