Black Potatoes

by Bartoletti, Susan Campbell

• ISBN13: 9780618548835
• ISBN10: 0618548831
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-02
• Publisher: Houghton Miff

Summary

In 1845, a disaster struck Ireland. Overnight, a mysterious blight attacked the potato crops, turning the potatoes black and destroying the only real food of nearly six million people.Over the next five years, the blight attacked again and again. These years are known today as the Great Irish Famine, a time when one million people died from starvation and disease and two million more fled their homeland. Black Potatoes is the compelling story of men, women, and children who defied landlords and searched empty fields for scraps of harvested vegetables and edible weeds to eat, who walked several miles each day to hard-labor jobs for meager wages and to reach soup kitchens, and who committed crimes just to be sent to jail, where they were assured of a meal. It's the story of children and adults who suffered from starvation, disease, and the loss of family and friends, as well as those who died. Illustrated with black and white engravings, it's also the story of the heroes among the Irish people and how they held on to hope.

Author Biography

Susan Campbell Bartoletti is the award-winning author of several books for young readers, including Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845–1850, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal. She lives in Moscow, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(4)
Black Potatoes, Black Potatoes	5	(12)
We've an Extra Potato	17	(15)
Lend Me a Little Reliefe	32	(18)
A Flock of Famishing Crows	50	(18)
Only Till the Praties Grow	68	(21)
The Fever, God Bless Us and Protect Everyone	89	(15)
A Terrible Leveling of Houses	104	(13)
The Going Away	117	(19)
Where Would the War Begin?	136	(16)
Come to Cork to See the Queen	152	(15)
Conclusion	167	(6)
Map of the Counties and Major Port Cities of Ireland	173	(1)
Timeline	174	(2)
Bibliography and Sources	176	(6)
Index	182