Looking for Jimmy: A Search For Irish America

by Peter Quinn

Overview

In this stunning work chronicling the author’s exploration of his own past—and the lives of many hundreds of thousands of nameless immigrants who struggled alongside his own ancestors—Peter Quinn paints a brilliant new portrait of the Irish-American men and women whose evolving culture and values continue to play such a central role in all of our identities as Americans. In Quinn’s hands, the Irish stereotype of “Paddy” gives way to an image of “Jimmy”—an archetypal Irish-American. From Irish immigration to modern politics, Quinn vibrantly weaves together the story of a remarkable people and their immeasurable contribution to American history and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781531500849
Publisher:	New York ReLit
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Peter Quinn is a novelist, political historian, and foremost chronicler of New York City. He is the author of Banished Children of Eve and a trilogy of historical detective novels—Hour of the Cat, The Man Who Never Returned, and Dry Bones.
Peter Quinn is a novelist, political historian, and foremost chronicler of New York City. He is the author of Banished Children of Eve, American Book Award winner; Looking for Jimmy: In Search of Irish America; and a trilogy of historical detective novels—Hour of the Cat, The Man Who Never Returned, and Dry Bones.

Table of Contents

Foreword | 11

I. Family and Memory
Looking for Jimmy | 19
In Search of the Banished Children | 43
The Skillins | 57
The Perils of Pat | 67
Stones of Memory | 74

II. Politics and Place
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall | 87
Local Politics, Irish-American Style | 101
Life of the Party | 112
Civil Service | 122
The Bronx is Burning | 127
Cast a Cold Eye: William Kennedy's Albany | 138

III. Faith and Imagination
Confessions of a Bronx Irish-Catholic | 155
Sic Transit | 164
The Catholic Imagination | 172
Holy Orders | 188
City of God, City of Man | 193

IV. Silence and History
The Triumph of Bridget Such-a-One | 211
An Interpretation of Silences | 231
Closets Full of Bones | 246
Lost and Found | 257
A Famine Remembrance | 267

Conclusion
Irish America at the Millennium: How the Irish Stayed Irish | 273

Editorial Reviews

A sweeping tale of disaster, survival, and triumph.

San Francisco Chronicle

Charming... A timely reminder that controversy over immigration exists as very much part of a continuum.

The New York Times

You don't have to be Irish or Irish-American to love this book. Whoever you are, you are in it. This is the kind of book you will want to bestow on anyone with, or without, a hyphen in their history.—Frank McCourt

From the Publisher

An exceptionally thoughtful and interesting inquiry into Irish America.

The Washington Post

The Irish American story—a 150-year saga—is a fascinating one, and Quinn tells it superbly. A charming, informative, and memorable book.

America Magazine