Back when I was teaching Social Studies, I used to use holidays such as St. Patricks Day to teach students how much history different ethnic groups in the US share. I used to have articles that informed students on the reason why so many Blacks have Irish surnames, how Irish were discriminated against and called ‘white nigger’s’ and other facts ignored in the retellings.

Such information is still available! Author Zetta Elliot does a wonderful job of describing the forces that brought Blacks and Irish together in Civil War era Brooklyn, and she also writes about the forces that drove them apart. Although the book is fiction, Elliot extensively research Brooklyn’s ethnic past and uses historical facts to tell a wonderful story. Do check out A Wish After Midnight!