Another excellent book about the famine is "Paddy's Lament," by Thomas Gallagher. About the textbook conversation, it might also be productive to call various textbook publishers--or probably more important, the authors of those textbooks, whose names are on the books. In the U.S., they, or people working under their name, have direct influence over what should be kept in a textbook and what should be deleted. The authors have guidelines to follow (influenced by school districts, with, I believe, the states of Texas and California having a lot to say about the content since they're so big), but a decision as to whether to cut a story about the Irish famine down from two pages to half a page, for instance, could be within the discretion of the authors. I don't have any history textbooks at hand, so I can't point to the right publishers to contact, but someone on the list might have access to history textbooks. The following page has some information about history textbooks: http://www.historytextbooks.org/adoptions.htm And you might find the following abstract interesting: http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/(hfozkc45u51s2j55qef2gzms)/app/home/co ntribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,6,10;journal,18,27;linkingpublic ationresults,1:104595,1#search=%22%22history%20textbooks%22%20%22Irish%20fam ine%22%22 On 9/25/06 7:49 PM, "MARY THOMAS" <coloknight@verizon.net> wrote: > Hi Jill, > I did as you suggested and they couldn't answer the question. They > "assumed" that the "famine thing" was covered as well as any other historical > event. I asked them to check the history book the schools were using and said > I'd call them back in an hour. I can only imagine the names they called me. > :-) Anyway, when I called back, I learned that the "facts about the famine" > filled less than half a column on half a page. > > I probably earned myself a few more names when I asked why, when the Irish > who came to America did more than any other race to build the country, was > their no Irish History Week. Yes, I was a little politically incorrect and > brought up Black History Month. My timing was pretty darn good though. In > Muskegon we have an Irish music festival during the month of September. It > just finished and there were thousands there over the three day event. > > Jill Morrison <edencurra@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > So this is the challenge to you......contact your Board of Education and > just question them.Now that I brought this to your attention, If you don't do > it.....who will? Maybe you will be more enticed after reading Frank's book > suggestion. > > > > Stay well, stay safe, and may you always have enough, > Chris > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRL-CORK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message