Synopsis
By combining her love of writing with a life-long fascination with history, she creates historical fiction that both entertains and educates. Buy the Book!
When Ireland Fell Silent takes the reader back to 1845-1849 to County Mayo, Ireland in a gripping, suspenseful story that is true to the documented records. Many people, even those of Irish heritage, are uninformed of the true situation that existed and believe that potato blight was the cause.By creating a fictional family named Reilly, the author guides the reader "to experience the tragedy and, with gripping narrative, conveys their anxiety, hope, frustration and desperation. . . . To read this book is to experience An Gorta Mor.
Author
As an educator, Harolynn Enis was a classroom teacher, a supervisor of social studies k-12, a television teacher of American history, and the director of an enrichment center in a parochial school. She and her husband live in Oklahoma and have four grown children and cherished grandchildren.
Reviews
“[T]he facts of the story are as accurate as historical research allows. . . .The author has cleverly created a family to experience the tragedy and, with gripping narrative, conveys their anxiety, hope, frustration and desperation as they experience the historically accurate hardships. . . . To read this book is to experience An Gorta Mor.” The National Hibernian Digest, September-October, 2010.
“May the sun shine on this book that plumbs the joy and despair of days that will never be forgotten. It will stir readers as it stirred the author’s heart.” Carolyn Hart, award-winning novelist and mystery writer, author of the Death on Demand series, the Henrie O series, and more.
“When Ireland Fell Silent is compelling historical fiction, rooted in genuine research and an appreciation of the era. It is epic, grand, brimming with life, filled with believable characters. ” James A. Percoco, historian, educator, author of A Passion for the Past, Divided We Stand, and Summers with Lincoln.
“The book is not only factual in every detail, but her style of writing put me in the cottage beside the Reilly family . . . . I even welled up tears at her telling of the American Wake . . . . you will find this one easy to read and, more importantly, easy to comprehend . . . .” Mike McCormack, AOH National Historian, author of Echoes of Irish History, Profiles in Patriotism, and The Long Voyage Home.
“I expected to find lots of good history in this book. What surprised me was how engaging the Reilly family story was and how involved I got in learning about the Irish famine through their eyes. It is a much-needed story, well researched and told. This book should be required reading in all school curricula that teach about the Irish Famine, the Jewish Holocaust, and Native American removal.” Elaine Reed, Executive Director Emeritus of the National Council for History Education
“I really enjoyed the book . . . couldn’t put it down. The story brought to life and reality the unbelievable suffering, oppression, and discrimination the Irish of Famine times endured at the hands of the British. As a Mayo man first, an Irishman, and now an Irish-American, the book confirmed for me the unjust manner in which the Brits treated our fellow Irish and put into perspective the immense tragedy that could quite easily have been prevented with just an ounce of helpfulness from Ireland’s worst neighbor. As a person with a degree in the Irish language, I am impressed with your accuracy, except for a few minor glitches.” Jim Graven, President, Irish Center of Pittsburgh
“I found this book to be a true depiction of “An Gorta Mor,” the Great Hunger, told as it was lived at the time. It was indeed not a famine but a forced hunger on the Irish people. I hope that people will read this book to learn what happened.” Seamus Boyle, National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, Inc.
"The book skillfully details the Reilly family. . . and the book's main character, Liam. . . . Enis provides details that not only shock . . .but also grip you until the end as you wonder whether the Reilly family can overcome the famine and survive. . . . toward the end, the meaning [of the title] is revealed through the tragedy and triumph of the Irish people." Joe Hight, The Oklahoman, p. 7D October 31, 2010.