We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It

In the tradition of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes and Alice Taylor’s To School Through the Fields, Tom Phelan’s We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It is a heartfelt and masterfully written memoir of growing up in Ireland in the 1940s.

Tom Phelan, who was born and raised in County Laois in the Irish midlands, spent his formative years working with his wise and demanding father as he sought to wrest a livelihood from a farm that was often wet, muddy, and back-breaking.

It was a time before rural electrification, the telephone, and indoor plumbing; a time when the main modes of travel were bicycle and animal cart; a time when small farmers struggled to survive and turkey eggs were hatched in the kitchen cupboard; a time when the Church exerted enormous control over Ireland.

We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It recounts Tom’s upbringing in an isolated, rural community from the day he was delivered by the local midwife. With tears and laughter, it speaks to the strength of the human spirit in the face of life's adversities.

In traditia lui Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes si Alice Taylor, To School Through the Fields, Tom Phelan We Were Rich si We Didn't Know It este un memoriu din inima si scris magistral despre cresterea in Irlanda in anii 1940. Tom Phelan, care a fost nascut si crescut in judetul Laois din Tarile de Jos din Irlanda, si-a petrecut anii de formare lucrand cu tatal sau intelept si exigent in timp ce incerca sa cucereasca mijloacele de trai dintr-o ferma care era adesea umeda, noroioasa si care spargea inapoi. electrificarea, telefonul si instalatiile sanitare interioare; o perioada in care principalele moduri de calatorie erau bicicletele si carucioarele pentru animale; o perioada in care micii fermieri se luptau sa supravietuiasca si ouale de curcan erau eclozionate in dulapul bucatariei; un moment in care Biserica exercita un control enorm asupra Irlandei. Eram bogati si nu stiam ca povesteste cresterea lui Tom intr-o comunitate rurala izolata din ziua in care a fost livrat de moasa locala.