Still relevant today
Compiled particularly in response to remembrance of the 150th anniversary of the Great Famine in Ireland (1997), this book contains a variety of views on the causes and effects of this disaster. There is an emphasis on the connections with migration to the United States of America. Contemporary illustrations help readers to go back in time.
Comments on causes of and attitudes to world hunger today are still relevant. When people are forced to starvation while their own country is exporting food to wealthier nations, and we sit idly by, there is cause for serious reflection. Natural disasters such as drought, flood and pests and diseases can sometimes be prevented, although not always. Real generosity of spirit, as well as foresight, is needed in the sharing of the world's resources within countries, and between countries. The selfish desire for profit and national aggrandisement needs to be overcome in the fight against hunger.
