This book was published by the University of Notre Dame Press in 2007, just before the economic crash of 2008. It is an accessible guide to understanding how Ireland and the Irish people changed between the years 1992 and 2007. Largely as a result of the country's rapidly expanding economy, Ireland transformed into one of the richest countries in the European Union. The author uses personal, first-hand stories from a wide range of Irish citizens, including the elderly, farmers, people in small towns and rural areas, and new immigrants, to illustrate how various segments of the population coped with a shifting social landscape. He skillfully weaves his stories of real people together to reflect themes of promise and loss attached to economic upheaval, the struggle to maintain traditional ways in the face of new social and moral orders, the effort to adapt to a country with an enhanced place in the world economy, and the challenge of remaining at home as the meaning of home becomes forever changed. Although the book was published in 2007, it is instructive in relation to looking at what is happening in Ireland in 2021.