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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.049162
EAN num: 9780805058444
ISBN number: 0805058443
Label: Holt Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: March 15, 1998
Publishing house: Holt Paperbacks
Sale Popularity Level: 176880
Studio: Holt Paperbacks
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Between 1846 and 1851, more than one-million people--the potato famine emigrants--sailed from Ireland to America. Now, 150 years later, The Famine Ships tells of the courage and determination of those who crossed the Atlantic in leaky, overcrowded sailing ships and made new lives for themselves, among them the child Henry Ford and the twenty-six-year-old Patrick Kennedy, great-grandfather of John F. Kennedy. Edward Laxton conducted five years of research in Ireland and interviewed the emigrants' descents in the U.S. Portraits of people, ships, and towns, as well as facsimile passenger lists and tickets, are among the fascinating memorabilia in The Famine Ships.
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Rated by buyers 
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Interesting history/topic but very, very dryly written with much redundancy and minute details that distract from the history. There is a tendency to go back and forth from one period to another and not stay on task chronologically, which I found distracting. Some of the writing itself seemed immature with a lot of of trite phrasing (i.e., "watery grave" over and over) with an endeavor to be profound; there were times when I felt I was reading someone's Master's thesis or doctoral dissertation, rather than an historic book written for the general public. It was so dry and laborious that I finally stopped reading it about three-quarters of the way through and picked up two other books to read. I would have liked much more detail about the famine itself and its impact on the families and/or details of the poorhouses from which many of the emigrants came and specifically what they were escaping. The destitution and impact of the famine wasn't detailed enough nor were the actual shipboard situations; the details involved the shipping companies and such, with only cursory details of the actual events on board, etc. Obviously, I was very disappointed in this book.
Rated by buyers 
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The Irish suffered horribly under the English. The great Famine is just a synonym for the Irish Holocaust commited by the English. Irish suffering needs more attention and respect. Forget the mechanics and enjoy a real book - this one; Dia Duit!!!
Rated by buyers 
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I make no apologies for the structural defects of this book, nor do I mean to suggest they should be ignored. They deserve criticism. Grammatical errors and poor editing are never welcome, however with History a factual mistake or contradiction is at best never acceptable, and at its worst can cause credibility to be questioned. I still recommend this book as the errors do not negate the events that took place, and as frustrating as they may be, they do not detract from the horror that was The Famine, nor the conduct of those involved. That the book did not gain a wider audience, possibly because of these faults is sad.
Ireland has been fertile ground for reprehensible behavior by England for over 700 years. Ireland too, at times has committed acts of violence via a variety of Catholic and Protestant groups. The dead, wounded, and the mutilated are all that either side has gained. The hatred exists to this day, and while violence has been calmer of late, a great period of time must pass before memories fade and forgiveness is accepted for apologies offered.
Prior to the ships in this book becoming "Famine Ships" many plied another trade as "Slave Ships", it is true that there were structural changes made, but beyond a certain point conditions become inhuman, period. The Potato Blight is often the only, or the primary reason given for the mass immigration that devastated the island. The truth is always more complex, it is no different here.
While starvation was rampant the food that was available, food grown right there subsequent to those that were starving was exported to England. The English Landowners often paid for the cost of passage on these ships where so many died. These ships did carry the victims of Famine like they had carried the victims of slavery before. Transportation was almost secondary, how can it be anything else when conditions are created that are deadly by definition. It was cheaper to pay for transit than keep people alive on their ancestral land. And if they left they no longer had any use for land, so it was bought and accumulated by the same individuals that often paid for its owner's permanent eviction.
Ireland yesterday is experiencing the return of some of the descendants of those that made that terrifying crossing. As a nation it has become one of the most prosperous in Europe by many economic standards, but that is not enough. Tolerance is not good enough, nor are plans of peace that neither party believes in their heart to be fair. It would be pleasant to site examples of hatred hardened by centuries of pain that have been put aside and new beginnings made. Perhaps the newfound economic health will help the process, perhaps not.
I hope for those who live there, be they Catholic or Protestant, that a way is found in a comparatively brief span of time to pause, heal, for apologies to be made, and accepted.
Rated by buyers 
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This may be the most disorganized book I have ever read, and it contains numerous factual errors to boot, a kiss of death for a supposed history book. The vignettes come at you with no apparent thought about how one inter-relates with another. It is just a jumbled mess of repetitious incidents randomly presented. A simple solution would have been to build each chapter around a port of emigration. As for factual errors, how about the Titanic sailing on its maiden voyage from New York City. Or, on one page you are told a ship sank but most of its 200 passengers survived. On the subsequent page you are told that most died. And there is no further explanation or clarification given. Dates of events are given as one year in the book, and pages later as another year. The book is published by reputable Henry Holt. Boy, they were totally asleep on this one. Even if there are some interesting facts given, how can you trust them in the face of all the errors. If you like watching movies to find the mistakes - like Plan 9 From Outer Space -- then this book is for you. All other potential readers, beware.
Rated by buyers -
Written in a pedestrian style it meanders from one point to another making difficult reading. The book lacks progression; points are presented without foundation or connection to any proceeding or subsequent text. In a final analysis it reads like a middle-schooler's book report: occasion fact smothered in disconnected filler. The combination results in the trivialization of the book's message.
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