A Boy From Ireland: A Novel

by Marie Raphael

Overview

“An excellent, moving story” (Midwest Book Review) of an immigrant boy who triumphs over prejudice.

1901. A half-Irish boy is beaten in Ireland for his English blood, then again in New York City, where Irish and English, blacks and whites also hate based on historical wrongs. Drawn in at first, he breaks an ordeal of bullying and violence, helped by a black employer, a new friend, and a fiery thoroughbred horse. “Unsparing in its depiction of prejudice…heartwarming in its portrayal of friendship and moral awakening” (Howard Zinn).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892554270
Publisher:	Persea Books
Publication date:	11/26/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	423 KB
Age Range:	12 - 14 Years

About the Author

Marie Raphael, author of Streets of Gold (Persea, 2001), has taught in middle school, high school, and college. She lives in Redway, California.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 6-9- In this companion to Streets of Gold (TreeHouse, 1998) set in 1901, Liam and his sister move from Kildare to Connemara to live with their uncle after their mother dies. There, the 14-year-old discovers that his peers hate him for his English father. Heading to New York City with Uncle Patrick to raise money for the Irish Republican cause, Liam is not sorry to leave behind a world where he will never fit in. He attempts to find out what happened to his father, who disappeared from Kildare, by stealing some letters his mother sent to her cousin, in whose house Liam's family is staying. Before Liam can read them, a nasty boy takes the letters and uses them to blackmail him into performing dangerous and dirty stunts. Often there are gaps where action that would seem more natural "on stage" is described after the fact. None of the grittier events of the story is pushed to the side, however. Liam witnesses a cockfight, attempts to bite the head off a dead rooster, and witnesses a horse being put down. Through all this, the boy grows and learns, but these changes take place in the gaps in the story, which makes the ending seem somewhat forced. While uneven, this title may be a worthwhile addition to collections in need of boy-friendly historical fiction.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

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