Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

17 reviews

katrinaburch's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This book is one that should be on anyone's list who has an interest in the Troubles. It is well researched and well written. I was a teenager when the Good Friday Agreement was signed and while I knew a little at the point that was going on, I have since learned more through books like Edward Rutherfurd's Dublin and Morgan Llywellen's The Irish Century series. But those are both fiction, this is narrative non-fiction. Yes, the author does state that it doesn't begin to cover all that is needed to know about one of the most complex conflicts in the world, but it's a start. 

I did have to knock it down a star for the author not using footnotes and ONLY using endnotes. As a historian, this drives me nuts. Endnotes are for your sources, footnotes are for extra information!

Overall, it's a very good book and should be read. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

sporadic_user's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

4.0

A powerful book about awful acts of violence, in a seemingly unending cycle of retribution. Keefe masterfully conveys the inner worlds and fierce beliefs of a suprisingly small cast actors in the troubles, illustrating the many changes throughout it's beginnings, height and end.

For those normally turned off by acciuntings of history, Keefes writing style will be a welcome, gripping narrative rendition of events.

In particular, the inner motivations of the depicted are so well articulated that it can become hard hold on to an objective view oneself. Much like these real people, you can get caught up in their personal views and their cycles of violence. You can get insight into how the peace process could be reviled by the very people who wanted to stop fighting themselves. You might even find yourself condemning the very people who ended the conflict, only to realize that this exact thinking is what kept the conflict alive.

This book can be hard to read because of its subject matter, but it thoroughly demystifies the origins, staying power and legacy of the troubles.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

mondovertigo's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Excrement, Vomit, and Grief

Minor: Rape

mikeybjones's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Alcohol, and War

erinmg's review against another edition

challenging informative sad

4.0

Fascinating book! I haven’t seen the genre of “narrative nonfiction” much, but it felt much more accessible to me than a typical history book. If anything, it felt more anthropological in nature in the ways it ties historical events together through the stories relayed from the interviewees to the author. I listened to this as an audiobook and found at one point that I was confused on the timeline, so unsure if the recording was out of chapter order or if that was my own error, but otherwise I thought this was very educational and intriguing throughout.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Minor: Child death, Eating disorder, and Excrement

bigheadcam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

An absolutely incredible, fascinating, and perfectly paced narrative nonfiction on the Troubles. Radden Keefe is very careful to specify that this book is not "historical" nonfiction because a lot of the information in this book is derived from oral accounts. He did his best to reconcile these accounts by corroborating them with more official records and reports, but the Troubles are not well documented and were a truly chaotic time.

Radden Keefe's writing is objective and informative while also remaining gripping and maintaining an excellent storytelling tone. I was consistently impressed with how well he kept every subject covered interesting, and how he manages to switch contexts without losing the reader or making it jarring.

Thanks to John Oliver for recommending this on Hot Ones. I'd happily do the same for anyone with an interest in history, radical ideologies, revolution, and modern struggles for independence as well as the cost of said struggles.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

maggies's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Since reading Empire of Pain and Rogues, PRK has topped my list of nonfiction writers. His attention to detail and ability to weave a history that reads like a novel is second to none. The story of Jean McConville and her children, the nationalist movement, the origins of the Troubles, and its fragile peace and enduring legacy is told not necessarily chronologically, but thematically. PRK leaves a trail of breadcrumbs throughout as he builds to his final conclusion, with shocking twists and reveals along the way. Among the most shocking was the constant reminder of how recent this history is—while many active participants have passed away, many others are still alive, and memory is long.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Police brutality and Religious bigotry

thereadingzombie's review against another edition

informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and War

imds's review against another edition

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious slow-paced

5.0

Say Nothing is a chilling chronicle of The Troubles of Northern Ireland and its aftermath, with special focus on the orchestrated disappearance of civilian mother of ten Jean McConville.  Per the author, Patrick Radden Keefe, the book is not a comprehensive history, but as someone who knew virtually nothing about The Troubles going in, I found Say Nothing to be a great place to start.  I found the account of the Price sisters to be particularly fascinating.  This is a compelling story about people standing up for what they believe in, filled with betrayal and deadly consequences.  Matthew Blaney’s narration is exquisite.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, and Dementia