Book excerpt: Honed by poverty, harsh weather and the bitterness of British rule, Ireland’s children left their native land by the tens of thousands at the turn of the century. This is the story of the Finns, the McCanns and the Kellys, three families who battle their way from the New York City ghetto to the respectability of Astoria, Long Island. As their prosperity grows, so too does a fierce love for the country that took them in and gave them opportunity to be free of the degradation of poverty. When that country calls during World War II, they answer with enthusiasm and learn to love, fear, live and die far from the land they have grown to love.