London Book Launch GRAPPLING WITH GHOSTS Childhood Memories from Postwar Ireland and London By Dr. JAMES HARVEY
Come and join Dr Harvey at the ICC, hear him talk and read excerpts of his memoir “Grappling With Ghosts”. Experience Dr Harvey’s journey from a rural thatched cottage in Donegal to London’s Kilburn Town, (once nick-named Ireland’s 33 rd County), and finally to The United States. Come and engage with the history of a family who weathered the anguish of emigration, to live out the American Dream.
From time as a child in an orphanage to writing speeches for presidents James Harvey travelled a rocky road to live out the American dream. In this memoir of his childhood, Harvey recreates the daily struggles of life in post-war rural Ireland and bomb-shattered London. This engrossing memoir grounds the struggles of the Harveys in both Irish history and British snobbery as the family fought for a place in the world. It takes the reader on a journey from the serenity of life in a rural thatched cottage … through alcohol-fuelled domestic violence in the Kilburn area bordering London’s Paddington and St. John’s Wood neighbourhoods … to the anguish of emigration.
Author James Harvey will be coming the ICC from his home in the USA to launch his book in London. This will be a rare chance to hear him talk and read from his book. Dr Harvey will also be open to questions from the audience and he will give a powerful audio visual presentation.
Following his talk, Dr James Harvey will do a book signing. Copies of his book “Grappling with Ghosts” will be available to buy at the ICC on the night. To buy a copy in advance go to grapplingwithghosts.com
About The Author James Harvey
James Harvey, husband and father, has been a bartender, truck driver, boxer, public speaker, university official, and presidential speechwriter. A native of Donegal, Ireland, he was educated in England, Ireland, and the United States. Early in his professional career, he served on the staff of the U.S. Congress and as a lobbyist for the Carter White House. A graduate of Villanova University, he has trained school superintendents in the United States, lectured on education all over the world, and holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate from Seattle University.
7pm Doors, 7:30pm Start
Tickets: £7
What The Press say about “Grappling With Ghosts”.
“Harvey possesses what many historians lack: storytelling prowess. That scene of escaping to an orphanage is a page-turner, and there are a dozen more just as gripping. Also fascinating is how James evokes postwar Ireland and England.” – BlueInk Review
“In the shadow of empire and economic hardship, one Irish childhood spans the transition from thatched cottages to postwar council flats – and all the ghosts in between. James Harvey’s memoir Grappling With Ghosts captures the strangeness and struggle of a lost world.” The Irish Post
“A timely memoir about international displacement . . . poignant memories . . . historical and cultural critiques written in a mature, professional voice . Grappling with Ghosts is an affecting memoir about a childhood spent stretched between cool, green rural Ireland and postwar England.. the prose is both intelligent and accessible, evincing love for Ireland in palpable language.” Michele Sharpe; Forward Clarion Reviews. Read full review here: https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/grappling-with-ghosts/
“Donegal Man’s book is a treasure trove of days gone by. Author, James Harvey from Inver, (County Donegal), enthralled a captive audience at the Inver Community Centre, when he reminisced with stories of growing up in Inver in the 1940s & 50s set against an informed and researched social history of the area. The book provides a powerful window into the hardships of mass emigration, tracking Harvey’s remarkable life journey from a humble, thatched cottage in Inver, to writing speeches for US political figures, including the Jimmy Carter”. Donegal On-Line
What Readers Say about “Grappling With Ghosts”.
“A vivid, moving, and historically grounded account of international displacement and a challenging post-war childhood”
“Vivid Storytelling – Engaging writing style that makes readers feel like observers traveling through the author’s chaotic early life in rural Donegal and bomb-shattered London”.
“A rich historical work, exploring British social attitudes, Irish history, and the harsh realities of mid-century emigration”.
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