Jack Cashman Livres

Two friends growing up in a small New England mill town share a misspent youth full of mischief and mayhem. Events around the Vietnam War lead their lives in completely different directions. While they maintain their friendship, the direction of their lives could not possibly be any more different. One chooses a career in law, while the other leads a double life that includes killing for hire. In the end they are reunited in an effort to bring sanity back to their lives. Jack Cashman has followed up his highly successful first novel, An Irish Immigrant Story, with his second novel about two young men growing up in a New England mill town in a turbulent period. Jack lives in Hampden, Maine, with his wife, Betty, near their two sons Derek and Danny, their daughters-in-law, Michell and Karen and their five granddaughters, Katie, Sarah, Jackie, Carolyn and Brianne.

Johanna Cashman and John McCarthy, along with over a million others, immigrated to America to escape a devastating famine. They left behind family members who faced starvation to come to a land that would give them a new opportunity for a good life. They were soon made aware that they were not welcome in this new land and that every day would present a new struggle for survival. Johann and John got married, determined to raise a family in their adopted country. In spite of all the obstacles they encountered, including John's untimely death, the family grew and found success. The second generation used their success to lend assistance to the country their parents were forced to leave in Ireland's drive for independence from its oppressor. This historical novel brings the reader through the heartwarming story of a family that overcomes adversity to thrive in America. At the same time, it details the movement in the country they left to find its own independent place in the world.

The United States' involvement in the two world wars of the twentieth century drastically changed the country's role in the world. It also changed the world's perception of the country. Up until 1917, America had stayed out of European affairs for the most part. That all changed when events brought about the involvement of U.S. troops in a conflict in Europe. A sleeping giant had awakened.American troops turned the tide of that first world war. They repeated the accomplishment in the second world war fighting both in Europe as well as the Pacific Theatre. In the end, the United States became a world leader. It became the world's leading democracy as both the most powerful and prosperous country on earth. This transformation happened because of the integrity and valor of the American leadership and the American people. This is the story of one American family who worked through the two world wars and the depression, surviving on hard work and courage.