Charles Paul Collins has traced his family through documents and heritage sites, but the official papers in the public domain told him little of their thought and lives. Thus, in The Remembering, he imagined how they felt and described their daily lives.

His description of Cornelius' journey on the coffin ship across the Atlantic is so realistic that I was there, experiencing the conditions he suffered, the seasickness, lice, and open sores. Many died on the journey. All were emaciated from the potato famine.

Much of the book is a historical account of life in America in the last century, a fascinating and informative read. The hardships, the integration, and the fellowship of the Irish and later Italian immigrants are all recounted through the eyes of the immigrants. It was an age of wars, major advances, industrialization, cars, flight, and the wireless.

The author takes the reader into the minds of his family as their characters leap off the pages. I cared about them and enjoyed their triumphs and sorrows. This is a history book, and a family saga wrapped in a novel and is an excellent read.

—Lucinda E. Clarke for Readers' Favorite Book Reviews