All in the Family, by Edwin O'Connor, is a picture of the Kinsellas, a prominent and proud Irish-American New England clan. It was first published in 1964. When Uncle Jimmy launches the Charles Kinsella Mayoral Campaign, Jack declines to participate, despite Phil's fervent vow that victory will result in an unprecedented feat: purging the parasitical slime that infests their city. Even as Charles ascends from mayor to governor, and the Kinsellas achieve their pinnacle of success, a menace lurks over them, preparing to brutally disturb, if not outright destroy, this fiercely loyal family.
“Among themselves they argued as much as anybody, but this was all in the family; whenever anything outside the family came up they were all very loyal to each other and always stuck together.”
All in the Family is a sprawling, wonderfully readable story with an unforgettable ending, infused with the romantic, tragicomic energy that lies at the core of the Irish-American experience.