Timothy Egan makes several histories come alive through telling the life of Thomas Meagher: Ireland, Tasmania as a British prison, US Civil War, and early government of Montana. All are histories that I have only a superficial knowledge about, so the amplification was helpful. Egan fills in detail about issues and events without bogging the story of Meagher down. When I reread Irish authors, I will have a much richer understanding of the oppression Ireland experienced at the hands of the British. I must see the play, "Our Country's Good" again after reading the Tasmania section. I knew the Civil War was brutal, but that horror became more real as I read. And it was interesting to see those battles that I knew something about from the perspective of the Irish immigrants.

There is a large cast of characters who appear then reappear after a time. Egan provides enough clues to help us remember what they contributed in the past. (And there is an index if you want more detail.)

Not only informative, but a good read.