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BOOK REVIEW

‘When Politics was King in Irish Boston’ by Gerard O’Neill

How an immigrant group grew in power and influence for the better - and worse

By Thomas H. O’Connor

 |   

  March 11, 2012

Only a short time ago, the death of former mayor Kevin H. White brought into the pews of St. Cecilia’s Church a whole generation of white-haired politicians, many of whom had come into politics after 1950. In a series of absorbing biographical profiles, Gerard O’Neill has provided a lively and highly readable study of political figures who shaped and then reshaped Boston politics in the course of the 20th century.

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