Description

This newly republished historical novel revisits the story of Fr. James Edwin Coyle (Fr. Jimmy), an Irish priest from County Roscommon who was tangled with the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama in 1921. The novel is published by 451 Editions in April 2026. Inspired by meticulous historical research but told through the fictionalised voice of Jimmy’s sister, the novel explores the experience of an Irish emigrant priest working in the American South during a period of racial tension and political unrest. Its republication brings renewed attention to a remarkable and still little-known story linking Ireland to one of the most turbulent chapters of twentieth-century American history. The story has direct relevance to the rise of racist populism today.

Birmingham, Alabama, 1921: after the Great War, the city of coal and steel is a crucible of money and power. Fortunes are there to be won or lost, with race and class used as means to that end. Father Jimmy Coyle swims passionately against that tide, building inclusive congregations and speaking out against the rise of white supremacy. Dedicated, determined, ambitious, naturally inclined towards human rights – he is a thorn in the side of the Ku Klux Klan, until he isn’t …
Told in the compelling voice of Jimmy’s younger sister Marcella, Something Bigger delivers a vivid, moving picture of a society twisted by hate and prejudice. Based on a true story: the author is a grand-neice of Jimmy and Marcella Coyle.