Scan barcode
alwynduffy90's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
keirahelena_'s review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Child death, and Pregnancy
chloephillips2899's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Abandonment, Abortion, Child abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Child death
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
A Republic of Shame recounts the history of mother-and-baby homes in Ireland. The writer, thirty-years-old at the time (2017) interviewed as many people as she could who were part of this history. They included survivors of the homes - mothers and the children who were now adults, nuns who worked in them, as well as nurses, and in some cases families and clergy. Many were reluctant to talk to Hogan. Former residents were left traumatized, as were their families. Some families were complicit in sending their daughters to the homes, and wrote them off for the sin of being pregnant out of wedlock. Nuns who had worked in the home were the hardest to identify. There were numerous gatekeepers who kept Hogan away from the nuns. Sometimes they'd stall for years until the elderly nuns passed away. Other times they would say they nuns were too old or were suffering from dementia. Hogan was able to interview a few. What she found was denial that they'd one anything wrong, claims of ignorance of what was happening, and only one or two who expressed regret. Clergy were almost completely off limits to her. The few clergy she was permitted to speak with were mostly Bishops who stonewalled her.
I learned that the mother-and-baby homes were, for the most part, separate from the Magdalene Laundries. Girls - and most sent there were in their early to late teens- who were thought to be in "danger of leading men astray"were often sent to the laundries by their parish priest, and sometimes by their families. Some ended up spending their entire lives in the laundries, some of which functioned until the mid-1990's. Some of the girls and women were sent from the homes to the laundries. In Ireland until the late 1980's, it was almost unheard of for a single woman to keep and raise a child.
The most shocking aspect of the history of the homes is the number of babies and young children who died. In shame cases, they did not receive proper burial. In the case of the home in Tuam, it is believed that over 800 babies were buried in a septic tank. The hypocrisy of denying Christian burial to baptized babies is almost impossible to believe. The homes through Ireland had extremely high death rates among the babies. Although those connected to the homes gave many reasons for the high fatality rate, once adoption was law in 1952, and there was money to be saved (no more maintenance in the homes) and earned (through fees etc.), the number of deaths dramatically fell.
In my book group's discussion, there were a number of readers who felt the books was repetitive at times. It could have benefitted from more editing. Nonetheless, it is an important and readable history. Recommended to those interesting in women's history and Irish history.
I learned that the mother-and-baby homes were, for the most part, separate from the Magdalene Laundries. Girls - and most sent there were in their early to late teens- who were thought to be in "danger of leading men astray"were often sent to the laundries by their parish priest, and sometimes by their families. Some ended up spending their entire lives in the laundries, some of which functioned until the mid-1990's. Some of the girls and women were sent from the homes to the laundries. In Ireland until the late 1980's, it was almost unheard of for a single woman to keep and raise a child.
The most shocking aspect of the history of the homes is the number of babies and young children who died. In shame cases, they did not receive proper burial. In the case of the home in Tuam, it is believed that over 800 babies were buried in a septic tank. The hypocrisy of denying Christian burial to baptized babies is almost impossible to believe. The homes through Ireland had extremely high death rates among the babies. Although those connected to the homes gave many reasons for the high fatality rate, once adoption was law in 1952, and there was money to be saved (no more maintenance in the homes) and earned (through fees etc.), the number of deaths dramatically fell.
In my book group's discussion, there were a number of readers who felt the books was repetitive at times. It could have benefitted from more editing. Nonetheless, it is an important and readable history. Recommended to those interesting in women's history and Irish history.
meganleahclifford's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
chaos_fairy's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Misogyny, and Pregnancy