A Tale of Three Countries
New book is a riveting account about their entwined histories
Glenview, IL – The 1840s were tumultuous times that changed three countries forever. Know more about the entwined histories of Ireland, Mexico, and the United States as the people from these different places find their lives crossing paths – and destinies – in Mike Fallaw’s Just Like Me.
“In the annals of the American Irish, Mike Fallaw’s novel of the San Patricio’s battalion tells a little known story of hope and sorrow in the journey of the Irish in the Americas.”
– Christopher Cahill, Executive Director of the American Irish History Society
Just Like Me brings to life the conditions and experiences of people of that era. In Ireland, the famine, the result of generations of British Colonial rule, causes widespread death and the emigration of millions of Irish. In Mexico, the peasant-led revolt that frees the people from Spanish rule does not release them from their aristocratic yoke. Texas, sold by Santa Anna to save his skin, is now controlled by the Anglos, and its borders are in dispute. In America, the concept of manifest destiny is widespread. The election of James K. Polk in 1844 is the catalyst for a series of events that forever changed the shape of the United States and its relationship with Mexico. The proponents of nativism and their Know-Nothing Party oppress Irish immigrants in American cities.
As immigrants join the US Army, they are quickly thrust into the battle with Mexico. They experience great injustice in the American War, and hundreds choose to desert and join the Mexican Army as part of the San Patricio Battalion.
This novel tells the story of the youngest member of the Toomey family, Ned, from rural county Cork. Events force Ned and his sister to leave Ireland. In America he joins the U. S. Army to secure his sisters release from indentured servitude. In the Army he sees the same injustice he was subject to in Ireland and he must choose between his oath of allegiance and his love for his fellow Mexican Catholics.
“This story catches you, it’s very descriptive. It truthfully represents conditions in Mexico at the time of this war and accurately shows the peasant plight.”
– Elsa Torfer, Mexican Art and History Professor, State University of Mexico
To order the book follow the link: www.xlibris.com/JustLikeMe.html