Reviews

This book was a slow burn for me but was worth the effort. I knew an embarrassingly small amount about the Troubles prior to reading this exquisitely researched book. The violence is appalling and is still such recent history with current day implications.

kaithyde's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

pretentiousbreadcrumbs's review against another edition

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5.0

I couldn't, with a clear conscience, give this book anything less than 5 starts. In the authors own words, Say Nothing is a result of "Four years of research, seven trips to Northern Ireland and interviews with more than one hundred people". What's not mentioned in that statement is his raw talent to translate all that research into a digestible, engaging, and impactful book.

I started reading this both due to a recommendation from a friend of mine, and because of my growing interest in Irish History which sparked from Angela's Ashes. As someone who didn't learn about UK history in school (I wouldn't have been able to tell you what the difference was between The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland), Say Nothing helped put together a vivid picture of the origins, implications and aftermath of The Troubles.

What Patrick Keefe chronicles in this book is the individual; How can someone become radicalized, how can one justify committing horrifying acts against others, and how do you live your demons once you put down the guns?

Say Nothing is an obvious recommendation for a True Crime and History enthusiast, but the skill which Patrick Keefe employed to turn a dark chapter in history into a page-turning semi-autobiographical narration makes this easy to recommend to everyone.

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