Irish-American Autobiography: The Divided Hearts of Athletes, Priests, Pilgrims, and More

by James Silas Rogers

Publisher:

The Catholic University of America Press

, 2019

This lively survey of the ever-changing Irish-American experience contains “many perceptive, and sometimes surprising, observations” (The Irish Times).
 
Irish-American Autobiography explores the evolution of Irishness in America through memoirs that describe, define, and redefine what it means to be Irish. From athletes and entertainers to saloon keepers, community activists, and Catholic priests, Irish-Americans of all stripes share their thoughts and perceptions on their ever-evolving ethnic identity.
 
Poet and Irish studies specialist James Silas Rogers begins his evocative analysis with celebrity memoirs by athletes like boxer John L. Sullivan and ballplayer Connie Mack―written when the Irish were eager to put their raffish origins behind them. Later, he traces the many tensions registered by lesser-known Irish-Americans who’ve told their life stories. South Boston step dancers set themselves against the larger culture, framing their identity as outsiders looking in. Even the classic 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners speaks to the poignant sense of exclusion felt by its creator Jackie Gleason.
 
Rogers also examines the changing role of Catholicism as a cultural touchstone for Irish Americans, and examines the painful diffidence of priest autobiographers. Irish-American Autobiography becomes, in the end, a story of a continued search for connection—documenting an “ethnic fade” that never quite happened.

Praise for Irish-American Autobiography

"The writing is sharp, lively, and expressive, which encourages readers to embrace Rogers’s enthusiasm toward these texts. His expert historical contextualization and deft textual analysis leave no doubt that the reader is being guided on a tour of the subject matter by someone of deep knowledge and experience. The fact that the tour guide writes with such wit and humor makes the journey that much better." —American Ethnic History

Product Details

• Title: Irish-American Autobiography: The Divided Hearts of Athletes, Priests, Pilgrims, and More
• Author: James Silas Rogers
• Publisher: The Catholic University of America Press
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780813229195, 9780813229188, 0813229189, 0813229197
• Resource ID: LLS:9780813229195
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-10T07:15:26Z

About the Author

James Silas Rogers is the editor of New Hibernia Review.