The Project Children Story is a deeply human account of one of the most extraordinary and compassionate responses to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
From the mid 1970s, thousands of children from across the North were quietly lifted out of violence, fear, and daily tension, and brought to the United States for weeks of peace, fresh air, and ordinary childhood. They were welcomed into homes by strangers who became family, often for life. For many, it was the first time they had ever slept without listening for sirens, helicopters, or rioting in the streets.
This book tells that story through the voices of the children themselves, now adults, alongside host families, coordinators, and volunteers who gave their summers, their homes, and their hearts. It traces childhood in the shadow of conflict, the shock and wonder of America, and the long echoes those experiences left behind, shaping lives, careers, relationships, and identities in ways that are still felt decades later.
What emerges is not nostalgia, nor sentimentality, but something far more powerful. Stories that are sometimes heart wrenchingly funny, sometimes quietly devastating, and often life changing. Stories about kindness, courage, confusion, culture shock, and connection. Stories about what happens when ordinary people decide to do something extraordinary.
Written with care, honesty, and respect, The Project Children Story is as much about humanity as it is about history. It is a record of what was endured, what was given, and what it meant, then and now.
Coming autumn 2026 from Oakleaf Press.
Read More and Pre-Order Here.