Black Potatoes cover art

Black Potatoes

The Story of the Great Irish Famine

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Black Potatoes

By: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
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About this listen

In 1845, a disaster struck Ireland. Overnight, a mysterious blight attacked the potato crops, turning the potatoes black and destroying the only real food of nearly six million people. Over the next five years, the blight attacked again and again. These years are known today as the Great Irish Famine, a time when one million people died from starvation and disease, and two million more fled their homeland.

Black Potatoes is the compelling story of men, women, and children who defied landlords and searched empty fields for scraps of harvested vegetables and edible weeds to eat, who walked several miles each day to hard-labor jobs for meager wages and to reach soup kitchens, and who committed crimes just to be sent to jail, where they were assured of a meal. It's the story of children and adults who suffered from starvation, disease, and the loss of family and friends, as well as those who died. It's also the story of the heroes among the Irish people and how they held on to hope.

©2001 Susan Campbell Bartoletti (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Europe History

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Critic reviews

"A powerful and important book." (KLIATT)
All stars
Most relevant  
Brilliant read.
A must read for anyone who is looking for the facts about the great hunger.

Very well researched. Wonderfully written.

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Really recommend this audiobook, I couldn’t stop listening extremely interesting. The story was beautifully and respectfully read

Brilliant

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I listened with much sadness we will never know how much they suffered. Thank God for some they escaped the suffering .

Suffering

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Well written .I enjoyed listening to Graeme Malcolm. Worth a listen. I give it five stars

One of best book I have listened to on the famine

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without delving into the complex politics too much, this books gives an easy to understand insight into an act of premeditated genocide.
Brilliantly written and accurate in its content.
Anyone wanting to know how and why the Irish Famine happened, then this is the book to listen to.

Great History Lesson

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Everyone should listen to this book. It is almost beyond belief but true and the stories of actual people and places cuts through histories that are often cantered on the political events. All that is there too of course but it is hearing what terrifying suffering an entire nation went through(especially lower economic groupings) that makes this a profound book and makes you appreciate every mouthful of food afterwards. I will never be able to see a humble potato in the same way again. Highly recommended.

Completely moving

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I already new the history but this still held my attention and interest.A worth while read for both English and Irish folk.

Telling

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A very interesting listen, I learned much from this writer about the hard times of the famine, indeed I often wonder if any of my Fathers relations would have lived through this time, one cannot help to feel the pain and suffering of the time.

A great read.

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A very well written and narrated audio book. I couldn’t stop listening to it. A very well balanced and thought provoking insight into a tragic period in Irish History.

Black potatoes

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What disappointed you about Black Potatoes?

Seriously unoriginal and banal with little to no analysis and really added nothing to the subject.

What was most disappointing about Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s story?

It was incredibly over simplified and almost patronising

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Performance was good.

No detail, nothng new...

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