The Black Suitcase (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781525577000)

Growing up poor in mid-century Limerick is a nightmare of eviction, food deprivation, flea-bites, and never enough heat. An orange at Christmas is a massive treat. And yet Seanie Morrisey, despite having to beg, scavenge, and steal to help his overwhelmed single mother and his eternally-hungry younger siblings, somehow manages to live a joyful little boy's life. He loves fishing for eels in the River Shannon; the pennies he gets at his First Communion; his warm, extended family; the times his mother manages to earn enough to bring home fish and chips; and the giddy freedom of running wild with his little gang of friends.

When Seanie is thirteen years old, he makes a mistake that gets him sent to an industrial school run by Catholic Brothers...and his life takes a dark and horrific turn. Recounted in a uniquely expressive voice resonant with the lilting musicality of its roots in Limerick, The Black Suitcase captures the joy and horror of an Irish boyhood thwarted and ruined by a cruel and twisted system. Supported by chilling historical documents, it makes the unimaginable personal and painfully real.

Author: John E. Morrison
ISBN-10: 152557700X
ISBN-13: 9781525577000
Publisher: FriesenPress
Language: English
Published: 09/29/2020
Pages: 228
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.52d