Say Nothing Review

Title of the Book: Say Nothing

Author: Patrick Radden Keefe

Number of Pages: 348

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Review:

                I’ll wear no convicts uniform,

Nor weekly serve my time

That Britain might 

Brand Ireland’s fight

Eight hundred years of crime (170)

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a history of Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s when religion divided the country. Chaos ensues between the Catholics and the Protestants. The British Army is called in to intervene, but they only make matters worse. The IRA is divided to the Provos and the Stickies with younger members joining each side in order to survive. The Provos mission was to cause damage, but violence is the only message the British Army receives. Families are torn apart by the three groups, their beloved members taken from their homes. “We have a simple message for Gerry Adams and  the IRA: our families have suffered far too much. Please bring this nightmare to an end.” 

          Patrick Radden Keefe’s style of writing causes this book to be unique. He, being a magazine blogger, has a way of making the past seem like fiction. His writing seems to be an action and adventure tale, rather than a non-fiction novel. Patrick Radden Keefe paints a picture that feels like you are present, watching the events unfold before you.  

          Keefe portrays all parts of this story like he lived through each one. His words and sentences are complex, but easily understandable. Keefe makes his reader feel as if they are experiencing the events in person, rather than through a book. 

          One of the more memorable moments in the book is when Hughes was in America, trying to raise money and morale for the armed campaign. One man, an Irish American who was all for the cause, told Hughes that the IRA was “going about the war all wrong.” and should shoot anyone associated with the British army. After stating that Hughes would never allow the IRA to do that due to backlash, the man offers Hughes a briefcase full of money. Hughes wants nothing to do with the man at this point and states that he doesn’t “want [the mans] f****** money.” (p. 210-211)

          Another memorable part in the book is when the Price Sisters decide together that, in order to get what they want, they will follow in Terence MacSwiney’s foot steps and announce a hunger strike. This lead the British prison system to have them force fed, until, 167 days later, it was announced a form of torture.

           I would recommend Say Nothing to anyone who enjoys untold history. This book is good for those who like a sense of adventure and not just a lecturing book. With unexpected turns and twists in the story, Say Nothing is unpredictable.