Me And Mine

by Anna May Mangan

As soon as they'd saved up for the three 'S's' - shoes, suitcase and a suit - they left rural Ireland. It might have been the London of the 1950s where 'No Blacks, No Irish No Dogs' was the welcome put out for immigrants, but for the big family that was Anna May Mangan's, it was still better than the poverty they'd hailed from; 'Don't waste today worrying because tomorrow will be even worse' was their motto. But Ireland came with them in the dance halls, holy water and gossip and there was always the warmth of the Irish crowd, in and out of one another's houses 'as if there was no front door'.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Karen Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy a good memoir, and this one of the best I've read. Warm, witty, moving and uplifting I was totally absorbed into the colourful lives of the author's relatives, arriving from rural Ireland as immigrants in the fifties. What a wonderful and loving tribute to the past. Beautifully written and hugely entertaining it was hard to put down. I felt oddly bereft but enormously satisfied when I'd finished, and couldn't stop thinking about my own family history and how strongly we're shaped by the past.

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that I have been reading this book for ages. I enjoyed just reading a chapter every now and again. What a rollicking, funny yet sad story of an extended Irish family who moved across to London in the 1950’s. They were largely illiterate, so unskilled work was all any of them could find. Plus there was real hatred of the Irish & they were at the mercy of devious employers. The characters are so generous & genuine especially her dad and mum. The scene where they are waiting to see her new twin girls was incredibly poignant. Plus cancer stalked the women in this family like a plague. I was so concerned that the author may have died( she had leukaemia twice!) that I checked her biography. There are so many scenes in this that would be familiar to Irish Catholic Australian families. Parts of the book are not easy reading especially the acceptance of domestic violence & the blame always put on the woman for upsetting the man. Made my blood boil. The heartwarming part was that the children & then the grandchildren took complete advantage of the UK education system and broke out of the cycle of poverty.

[Random Spider (on a hiatus?) · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS has to be one of the hardest books I've ever read (not the hardest one...👀Banyaga: A Song of War). It was nearly a DNF, but I strived to finish it because it was a Christmas gift from my sister.

I don't hate this one book, but it will also never be on my favorite list. I've got no problem with memoirs since they could actually contain valuable wisdom and experiences.....it's just this book was meandering way too much for my liking, and most of its content were just fillers. However, I would like to point out that between those fillers were nuggets of genuine heartfelt/poignant moments of life that I crave from these types of literature. The book did catch up and hooked my attention upon arriving around the last 50 pages (seriously, I love its concluding chapters, and I relate to them dearly)...but it was too late at that point already.

I've enjoyed its consistent comedic writing that were also subtle portrayals of life struggles, but that's the best complement I could give for this book. Not insulting but not enjoyable...just OK. Bottom of the 6/10 books for me.

[Kate Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up as I have family who were London Irish and found it not only interesting but a real emotional journey to read.

[Natasha Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!

I took absolutely ages to read this book purely for the sheer fact that I didn't want it to end. I haven't cried so much while reading a book in skill long. It struck a familiar cord throughout coz my family and I migrated from Ireland in the early eighties. This. Is. A. Must. Read

[Tracey Carnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book

Found some of this book hard to read as my dear mum is fighting cancer for second time
I did really enjoy this book it reminded me of my ex mother in laws family all meeting on Saturday afternoon sitting at table smoking fag after fag.And some of this book made me laugh too. 10/10

[Mary McNally · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Wonderful...had me laughing and crying all the way through. A childhood. A family and an extended family's journey through life.
I will recommend this book to all my friends. I will probably read it again!

[Angela Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Irish immigrant family in London. Anna May looks back on the poverty, gambling, thieving, sacking and sickness with the humour only Ireland can conjure. Diminished by cancer, strengthened by love the story of an ordinary family.

[janet millar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommend

Excellent read so many memories and Irish sayings to identify with, this book made me laugh and cry in equal measure would highly recommend especially if you are Irish or of Irish descent

[eileen evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It portrays the life of Irish immigrants really well and without malice. Its written extremely well, I laughed and I cried and it shows how wonderful their family was. I was sorry to get to the end. I definitely recommend this book.

[Victoria Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely bombastic book about a seemingly bombastic family! That's the Irish for you, my Irish half are all nuts too.

Heartwarming down to the last, truly filled with love.

If you enjoy personal family histories and something that will bring a tear to your eye, this is for you.

[Avis Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find it hard to believe her family could have been so primitive and bog-stupid in comparatively recent times. This is not a pre-WW I memoir, for God's sake. I suspect the author is telling tall tales.

[Lindsey Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Absolutely awesome read. Takes you back in time to an era long gone.
Anna May really makes the reader feel as if they're living her life with her and her family. Some funny and heartening memories told with true love and respect. Highly recommended

[Shikha Malviya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book written by an Irish on Irish after Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt.

[Hilary Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irish in London

Harking back to by gone days. Humorous and tragic at times. Good read. The power of fairies and the clergy

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a warm and engaging read which combines humour and sadness. It is a story of death and survival in a family ravaged by cancer.

[cheryl y burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out standing

Made me laugh and sad could not out it down ,such a great read and what life is all about.well worth reading can,t wait for the next book

[nikki pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

This was a great read. It kept me turning the pages. Sadness and humour was very endearing. I felt like I knew them in the end.

[Hilary Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and always looked forward to getting back to it. However, I'm surprised at the way it's described almost as though it's another Cheaper by the Dozen. It's been referred to as a "warm-hearted" memoir and reviewers will talk about how much they laughed (and cried as well). I did cry, but I didn't laugh as much as I thought I would. I thought that the final chapters, while being heart-rending, were so tender and poignant and reflective of man's humanity. For example, the way the author's husband interacts with his ailing father-in-law is touching beyond belief.

But the first three quarters of the book are so reflective of man's inhumanity to man. We read about alcoholism, abuse, cruelty of all kinds. Not to mention ignorance. So many old wives tales. The children start to keep quiet about their ailments as the mother's cure can be worse than the sickness! The stories are all jumbled up together so that you're reading about some old-fashioned health remedy and then suddenly it's a domestic violence issue. I think I laughed aloud once and it was rather dark humor--one of the author's female relatives has a favorite topic--death and funerals. But most of the time I was thinking that these stories were sad. Shocking. But very addictive reading. I kept turning the pages out of curiosity. Mangan is a good writer. And somehow you know she's telling the truth. You come to realize that life in the so-called "good old days" wasn't so good!

Sure, illness in the family is sad, but when people deal with it in a loving and humane manner, it's ennobling. For me, the final chapters were soothing and assured me that human beings with all their frailty can be awe-inspiring. I can only read about drunks, abusers, and lazy good-for-nothings for so long and then I'm ready to be uplifted. All in all, it's an amazing story, but there's a lot of dirty laundry being aired!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

ME AND MINE tells the story of an Irish immigrant family who left rural Ireland in the 1950s to find work and a better way of life in England. From aunts who claimed their current hair shade as genetic and ferried leather suitcases dripping with blood from the Irish boat train because English meat was 'dirt' to one who mashed all of her only son's food until he was eleven in case he choked, and relatives being considered monied because of owning a post office account and a caravan! Battling poverty, death, illness and everday life this is a story of survival, triumph and laughter in the face of adversity from a truly colourful cast of characters told with wit and warmth.

I loved this, it reminded me so much of my upbringing, but I enjoyed even more the story of the family's battle against cancer. I was moved to tears at the description of the handprints and kisses on the glass wall of AnnaMay's hospital room as her children tried to get as close to her as they could. A wonderful book and a brilliant debut!

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sucker for memoirs, and recently quite interested in all things Irish, I quickly worked through this book. The first half was utterly enjoyable. Her family is vibrant, eccentric, and easy to imagine, thanks to her writing. The pictures she paints of her large entangled family are at different times hilarious, shocking, uplifting, and morose. The second half, while still beautiful written and endearing, was difficult for me. The loss experienced by her and her family was difficult to grasp and hard to read. It hit me harder than many novels I've read. But still, I enjoyed this detailed look into her family's history, one that I'm sure was mirrored by many other immigrant families of the time. I recommend it for anyone who loves memoirs, mid-century history, tight-knit families, and doesn't mind a good cry.

[Shell Beagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed and cried reading Me and Mine. An eye opening account of Irish immigrants and their lives in 1950's London. I truely had no idea that they were so hated and looked down upon by the english. Seen as nothing more than illiterate trash but okay to use as cheap labour to clean their houses and do their menial work. In spite of it all, Anna May Mangan's family still found reason to smile, laugh and celebrate even though their lives were far from perfect, and were touched by more tragedy than any family should ever have to endure. A reminder to be proud of my Irish heritage for it is just grand!!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, touching and intimate look into the lives of two Irish immigrant families. The blurb on the back gives no indication of the 'killer' that dominates the book - it felt like more of a book about that than the lives of Irish immigrants in London. Not a complaint, more of an observation. I enjoyed the easy writing style and felt like I knew the characters personally by the end. It made me count my blessings, so it did.

[Megan Brain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found "ME and MIne," to be a very nice, uplifting read. Unlike some of the other memoirs I've read that were based in Ireland this one is not just a tragic story,it is a story of hope and of family sticking together and striving for something more. There is a lot of love between the women of the family who all seem to have a trait or quirk that the author, Anna May Mangan has shared with us. I found it very easy to read and it was a rather enjoyable book.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great literature, but a fast paced, engaging memoir of Mangan's family who move from the abject poverty of rural Ireland to 1960's London, where they are on a par with dogs, as far as landlords are concerned. But they are a proud, resilient bunch and don't know the meaning of giving up. Very funny, very affectionate and very moving until the family gets hit by illness, then too depressing for words. Mangan spares us nothing; her last few chapters are sheer misery.

[Miramira Endevall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and warming and everything in between. My MIL and I laughed *so* hard in places, and in others the casual cruelty perpetrated toward members of her family made me cry. Currently with my aunt, will go to JFi next.

[Angela Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that are about relationships (intergenerational, husbands and wives, neighbours, cultures etc). This book had that and more. So easy to read and relate to. I was sad when I came to the last chapter and had to say good bye.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Sister-in-law gave me this book. It was an interesting book. It kept my interest. It was a easy book to read. The book was sad. Life was difficult and hard for this poor family.

[Maria Argent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny and moving in parts but a bit confusing jumping from one era to another and then back again

[Leisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me laugh out loud and cry too. Not the sort of book to read on the tube without getting strange looks. Anyone with an Irish background should read it.