Celebrating the Irish-American Experience

The literary canon does not want for Irish and Irish-American authors—James Joyce, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Flannery O’Connor, Mary McCarthy, Thomas Flanagan, Brooklyn’s own Frank McCourt, Pete Hamill, and so many more!

Considering we must celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day without the rowdy crowds or green beer, there’s never been a better time to check out one of these fabulous titles about the Irish-American experience. This list includes new releases from award-winning authors as well as titles from young writers who may not yet be household names.

My Father Left Me Ireland: An American Son’s Search for Home, by Michael Brendan Dougherty [eBook | eAudio | Print]
A touching memoir and exploration of fatherhood, nationalism and identity that has drawn comparisons to J.D. Vance’s acclaimed Hillbilly Elegy. Born to an Irish-American mother and Irish father, who split up before his birth, Dougherty was raised in New Jersey by his mother. The book is a compilation of seven beautifully crafted letters from Dougherty to his absentee father.

Maeve in America: Essays by a Girl from Somewhere Else, by Maeve Higgins [eBook | eAudio | Print]
Funny lady and Irishwoman Maeve Higgins offers up a hilarious collection of essays about leaving Ireland in her 30s for a new start in New York City.

The Ninth Hour, by Alice McDermott [eBook | eAudio | Print]
A list of Irish-American literature isn’t complete without at least one title related to the Irish Catholic church. McDermott, most famous for her award-winning title Charming Billy, pulls readers into an order of Catholic nuns that toil thanklessly to serve needy individuals and families in an Irish-American community in Brooklyn.

The Irish Mob Trilogy, by T.J. English
Fans of true crime should check out T.J. English’s engrossing and comprehensive non-fiction trilogy about Irish-American gangsters:
The Westies: Inside New York’s Irish Mob [eBook | eAudio | Print]
Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish-American Gangster [Print only]
Where the Bodies Were Buried: Whitey Bulger and the World That Made Him [eBook | eAudio | Print]

Actress, by Anne Enright [New release, print only]
Irish author and Booker Prize-winner Anne Enright has just released a new and brilliant work of historical fiction for the #MeToo era. Norah, the daughter of Irish theater legend Katherine O’Dell, works to uncover her mother’s long-kept secrets, from a rise to Hollywood stardom to subsequent fall from fame. While the book is not yet available in electronic format, jump on that holds list for the hard copy!

The Abstainer, by Ian McGuire [New release, print only]
Deemed part Raymond Carver and part Cormac McCarthy, this anticipated April release follows two men on opposite sides of the bloody fight for Irish independence, as they journey from industrial Manchester, England to the rural landscape of Pennsylvania. Stephen Doyle, an Irish-American veteran of the Civil War, is fixed on Irish liberation, while Constable O’Connor, a newly sober Dublin emigrant, finds stability in protecting British rule.

Fever, by Mary Beth Keane [Print only]
With most of New York self-isolating to reduce the spread of coronavirus, it’ll be no trouble to get pulled into this fascinating tale about an epidemic from our recent past, written by Irish-American author Keane. Fever follows Irish immigrant and cook Mary Mallon, otherwise known as Typhoid Mary, an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever that brought a trail of disease through New York wherever she cooked. The novel is reportedly being adapted into a BBC series with Elizabeth Moss as executive producer and star.

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To visit this booklist online, click here.