In Easter Rising, Michael Patrick MacDonald accompanies readers on a blistering journey through familial pain, healing, and self-discovery. The slew of family tragedies that prompt MacDonald to leave his native Southie take him from the abandoned warehouses that spawned Boston?s hardcore punk scene to the streets of Paris, London, New York, and ultimately, to the Ireland his grandfather left half a century before. The parallels between the author?s departure from South Boston and his grandfather?s from County Donegal, and the awkward, comically touching moments grandfather and grandson share make up some of the book?s most memorable moments. MacDonald?s writing is as fearless and direct as the underground bands that so influenced him in his teenage years, but with a world-wizened insight and maturity informed by the nightmares that plagued his family in Old Colony.
Though the punk cries of ?destroy? and ?no future? serve as a catalyst for a young MacDonald?s escape from Southie, Easter Rising is a chronicle of spiritual pilgrimage, not two-dimensional punk rock nihilism. MacDonald is that rare breed of writer who dazzles with both craft and content, doling out a one-two punch readers should feel privileged to be a party to.
What makes this book an essential piece of American writing is the author?s uncanny ability to bravely and insightfully bring to light stories that would otherwise be whispered in quiet corners. In this regard, MacDonald?s prose makes cowards of us all.
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Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under by Michael P Macdonald
JEOBrien, September 29, 2006
In Easter Rising, Michael Patrick MacDonald accompanies readers on a blistering journey through familial pain, healing, and self-discovery. The slew of family tragedies that prompt MacDonald to leave his native Southie take him from the abandoned warehouses that spawned Boston?s hardcore punk scene to the streets of Paris, London, New York, and ultimately, to the Ireland his grandfather left half a century before. The parallels between the author?s departure from South Boston and his grandfather?s from County Donegal, and the awkward, comically touching moments grandfather and grandson share make up some of the book?s most memorable moments. MacDonald?s writing is as fearless and direct as the underground bands that so influenced him in his teenage years, but with a world-wizened insight and maturity informed by the nightmares that plagued his family in Old Colony.Though the punk cries of ?destroy? and ?no future? serve as a catalyst for a young MacDonald?s escape from Southie, Easter Rising is a chronicle of spiritual pilgrimage, not two-dimensional punk rock nihilism. MacDonald is that rare breed of writer who dazzles with both craft and content, doling out a one-two punch readers should feel privileged to be a party to.
What makes this book an essential piece of American writing is the author?s uncanny ability to bravely and insightfully bring to light stories that would otherwise be whispered in quiet corners. In this regard, MacDonald?s prose makes cowards of us all.
(10 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)