Immigration: Always in the News

To say that Immigration is in the news these days is an understatement. The truth is, people have been moving around the planet since the first humans ventured out of Africa. What causes people to leave the comforts of home? Adventure lures some, economic gain attracts others. but the inciting incidents that move masses of people are usually due to famine, persecution, and war. It's no surprise then that much historical fiction centers on immigration stories. Here are a few I've discovered recently.



Last year, I reviewed several Irish historical fiction stories including the Nory Ryan series by award winning Patricia Reilly Giff. Maggie's Door, the second in the series, follows Nory as she journeys to America in the wake of The Hunger--the terrible potato famine of 1845-1847.Wrenching, yet inspiring, Nory overcomes tremendous odds to bring herself and her little brother across an ocean to find her remaining family.

Streets of Gold, by the beloved children's book author Rosemary Wells and beautifully illustrated by Dan Andreason, is a retelling for children of Mary Antin's memoir The Promised Land. Due to increasing persecution, a Jewish family emigrates from Russia at the turn of the century.

As with Maggie's Door, the father leaves first to establish a job and home before sending for the family. This struck me as a key dynamic I had not understood before. Immigration stories are very much about the courage of those left behind and the complication of making the journey without a father.

When the family arrives in America, they discover the streets are not paved with gold, of course. But they are safe. They are together, again.



Journey to America by Sonia Levitin is another Jewish immigration story, which takes place on the
eve of WWII. Again, the father precedes the family to America leaving his wife and three daughters to escape Germany when the time is right.

This story opened portrays the flight of many people into Switzerland before WWII, the difficulties children faced there, and the overwhelming situation for the Swiss in dealing with the flood of refugees. Some children were exploited while other Swiss generously took children into their own homes, although this further separated children from their families. It was often months before refugees could obtain an exit visa, if they could obtain one at all. Levitin also shows how each child may cope differently with upheaval in their lives.

The Frozen Waterfall by Gaye Hiçyılmaz is a more contemporary immigration story, but I add it here because it is a rare find--a Turkish family that immigrates to Switzerland for economic reasons.

Twelve-year old Selda has trouble adjusting to life in Switzerland, but her friendship with a Turkish boy who is an illegal immigrant leads to the realization that life can not only be difficult, it can be dangerous. This book is for upper middle-grade and high school. It is also quite long, and the writing is fair, but for me, it was worth the effort to gain a valuable perspective, and to understand more intimately the hardships of immigration on not only children but also parents.





I hope these books will inspire you to find more immigration literature and share it with the children in your lives. Please share any of your favorites with me!

Michele Hathaway is a writer and freelance editor. She has an M. A. in Social Anthropology and has worked in libraries in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She writes stories set in culturally diverse, historical and contemporary periods.

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The Easter Rising 1916

1916-2016: Remember, Reflect, Reimagine

In 1916 a rebellion took place in Dublin, Ireland that catapulted the country toward civil war and eventually the formation of the Republic of Ireland. This year marks 100 years since that pivotal event, also known as the 1916 Easter Rising, which began on Monday of Easter week, April 24th. The Commemorations offer a wonderful opportunity to introduce Irish history to middle-grade readers.

Bisto Book of the Year Award 1997
Eilís Dillon award - 1997

A good place to begin is with The Guns of Easter by Gerard Whelan. Through the eyes of 12 year old Jimmy Conway, an impoverished boy with big dreams, Whelan immerses us in the world of 1916 Dublin. It is a complicated setting, shaped by Ireland's long history, which includes loyalists, nationalists, unionists, those indifferent to any cause and those caught in between. Whelan's sequel, A Winter of Spies, follows Jimmy's sister Sarah during the War for Independence.

"There are too many people willing to die for Ireland," said Skeffy. "Why can't more people just live for it?" Molly's Diary, The Easter Rising 1916, p. 36

Molly's Diary is another middle-grade historical fiction on the Easter Rising. It is packed with information, and although I found it to be a bit too packed, Molly is an engaging character who readers will find fun and lively. 

The Aftermath

Kilmainham Jail photo my Michele Hathaway

The Easter Rising was over in 6 days with a total of 485 dead and the majority of the leaders executed. The largest percent of casualties were civilian. At least 40 were under the age of 16. Nothing may have come of the Rebellion if the British had not so harshly executed the leaders and some innocent civilians. Most of the population was not in favor of the Rebellion to begin with, but the martyrs soon gained sympathy for the cause, setting the trajectory inevitably toward an independent republic.

 

I write it out in a verse --

MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse

Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born. 

-- William Butler Yeats

Remember, Reflect, Reimagine

The Republic of Ireland is framing the 1916 anniversary as a commemoration, respecting the diverse groups of people who played a part in the history of this event. Because the Irish have a long and painful history of division and violence, they are careful to recognize that violence is costly for all. The commemoration websites stress that this is a time to remember history, to reflect on what has been learned, and to reimagine--to imagine an Ireland with a future of peace and prosperity for all. 

Further Resources:

• "To mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, a gift for the people of the world, a free eBook of 1916 Portraits and Lives, has been produced. From 11th March to Easter, the eBook of the beautifully illustrated 1916 Portraits and Lives is available as a free download*. eBook for Kindle available as a free download here."

Websites:

• http://www.ireland.ie/about
• http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/1916-schools

Media:

• Easter Rising in 8 Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT8uFIbNrHw

• 1916 documentary narrated by Liam Neeson. This documentary aired on March 16th 2016 in Ireland and is set to air soon in the United States. It looks to be excellent. 

For more historical fiction for middle-grade, see my January 2016 blog post here.

Michele Hathaway is a writer and freelance editor. She has an M. A. in Social Anthropology and has worked in libraries in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She writes stories set in culturally diverse, historical and contemporary periods.

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Irish Middle Grade Historical Fiction

If you are looking for Irish middle-grade historical fiction, Celia Keenan writes that in her "reckoning, approximately one quarter of all Irish books for children consists of those predominantly of historical interest." Although this may be true, finding them can be a bit difficult. I've searched out a number to get you started.

I found a pot of gold at O'Brien Children's Books. The selections are organized by period, which is helpful as well as inspiring. They illustrate Ireland's long history, significant periods, and events.

The list begins with Irish Prehistory or Celtic mythology. Although mythology is more often associated with literature than history, it easily belongs to both and is an excellent place to begin. The list continues up to the 1969 Troubles.

The major Irish historical topics you are likely to find at your local library, beyond mythology, are the potato famine, immigration, and political unrest and civil war. And, of course, I can't omit the Titanic.

The Hunger

The Great Famine occurred between 1845-1849 when a water mold decimated the potato crops in successive years. A million people died of starvation and disease while a million more immigrated. The population in Ireland is below prefamine levels to this day. Perhaps one of the best known series on this topic is The Children of the Famine by Conlon-McKenna, which includes Under the Hawthorne Tree, Fields of Home, and Wildflower Girl.  

Newberry award winning author Patricia Reilly Giff, wrote a series that begins with Nory Ryan's Song followed by Nory's immigration to America in Maggie's Door, and the story of her friend in Bird Mallon. 




Another book on this topic is The Hunger, by Carol Drinkwater.

Political Unrest and Civil War

No study of Irish History is complete without addressing the division and civil war which has torn the country apart throughout history, and especially in the 20th century. It is impossible to understand the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland today without understanding the past.

The Easter Rising of 1916

Although division and unrest permeate much of Irish history, two periods are a touchstone in the literature: The Easter Rising of 1916 and what is commonly called The Troubles.

The Easter Rising was an attempt at independence from British rule by a small group of Irish. It occurred during WWI when England was busy fighting Germany with the aid of two hundred thousand Irish soldiers. Some of these soldiers fought to prove they supported a United Kingdom, others fought to show the British that Ireland was deserving of home rule--the right to govern themselves with their own parliment.

The insurrection began on Monday of Easter week, April 24th and became know as the Easter Rising of 1916. Outnumbered, the rebellion was quickly supressed and most of the leaders executed. However, the Easter Rising lit fires that smoldered and flared throughout the 20th century.

The Troubles or Northern Ireland Conflict

The Troubles, or Na Trioblóidí in Irish, occurred mainly in Northern Ireland from about 1969 to 1998 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Some place the actual end of violence into the early 2000s. More than 3,500 were killed in this conflict and the trauma of it persists in the lives of all those affected to this day.

The Titanic Museum in Belfast. The silver sides of the
 building replicate the hull of the ship and the four
 sides represent White Star Lines which built it.

The Titanic

The books writen on the Titanic are legion so you won't have any trouble finding some. What connects the Titanic to Ireland is that it was built in the famous Belfast ship yards and was a titanic feat. 

On that note, I'll leave you to pursue your own pots of gold in Irish history. We've only grazed the surface here. Do you have any Irish historical fiction you'd like to recommend?

Michele Hathaway is a writer and freelance editor. She has an M. A. in Social Anthropology and has worked in libraries in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She writes stories set in culturally diverse, historical and contemporary periods.

Subscribe to get posts automatically and never miss a post. You can use the Subscribe buttons to the right, or add http://madaboutmghistory.blogspot.com/ to Feedly or another reader.