Remembering Ahanagran: A History of Stories

Building history from the rich local folklore of family-an anti-memoir by a leading historian.

Sara Walsh was born in a land of storytellers in 1919, in Ahanagran, in the west of Ireland. She has made her life out of the stories she told her children, from her early years in Ireland to her migration to the United States and her struggle to become an American. Sara's memories, as recaptured in this unusual book by her son, are neither history nor memoir but something larger and brighter than both. Remembering Ahanagran is much more than a fascinating tale of one woman and her family; it is a passionate story that expresses the dignity and excitement of ordinary lives.

4 Black-and-White Photographs/2 Maps

Richard White, professor of history at Stanford University, is the author of The Middle Ground, It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own, and The Organic Machine (H&W, 1995). He lives in Palo Alto, California.