Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

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

40 reviews

dorakathryn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

The last couple of chapters made me feel a little weird, otherwise this would've been 5 stars. Something about talking about the incredibly precarious situation these tapes put the unknown third individual in and then naming them and not really referencing any permission that was received to do so was uncomfortable to me after such conversations were referenced about other individuals. However, I did listen to the audiobook which did not contain the endnotes present in the physical one, so maybe (I hope) something is said there.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Addiction, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, War, Death of parent, Sexism, and Violence

kt2e56's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

An unnerving look at the Troubles and the trauma it unleashed on an entire nation for generation after generation. The author is able to clearly and concisely describe what occurred in a matter-of-fact way without coming across as cold or indifferent.

The contrast between Gerry Adams who has done very well for himself, and those under his command who were forever scarred and traumatized is particularly unsettling.

This is a book that’ll stay with you for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Torture, Eating disorder, Death, and War

Moderate: Mental illness and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual assault and Child abuse

winnifred's review

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Murder, Gun violence, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Eating disorder, Addiction, and Child death

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Confinement

devinmzt's review against another edition

challenging dark informative fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism

hannahquin's review

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Mass/school shootings, War, Sexual violence, Violence, Hate crime, Blood, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Pedophilia

bexdubyah's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

The first half was rather dense, but the second half picked up as I became familiar with all of the names and how it all tied together. If you enjoy journalistic nonfiction and history, this is for you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Addiction, Child abuse, Eating disorder, War, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Murder, and Kidnapping

danidamico's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

Hace años que tenía ganas de leer Say Nothing, pero siempre me intimidó un poco. Finalmente me animé y fue una experiencia increíble, por momentos un poco densa en cuanto a información, pero cada capítulo terminaba valiendo la pena. Hace poco cursé una materia que se llama Taller de Crónica, en la que vimos que una de las cosas más importantes de la crónica es que el cronista logre mostrar los hechos y no sólo contarlos. Patrick Radden Keefe lo logra, durante los cientos y cientos de páginas te transporta a cada lugar, como si él mismo hubiera estado ahí cuando todo ocurrió. El laburo que hizo para que semejante cantidad de información pueda ser narrada de una manera atrapante y disfrutable es admirable. Prácticamente se lee como una novela, transitando momentos de mayor tensión, de suspenso, de tristeza y hasta pequeños destellos de humor.

Con esta bestia de libro, Radden Keefe intenta relatar la historia del conflicto armado en Irlanda del Norte, en especial el período conocido como "the Troubles", desde 1969 en adelante. Pone especial énfasis en ciertas figuras del IRA como Dolours y Marian Price, Brendan Hughes y Gerry Adams, como también en el secuestro de una mujer llamada Jean McConville. Empezar esta lectura es como embarcarse en un viaje que te va llevando por lugares insólitos, sorprendentes y frustrantes, y cuando creés que todo terminó, aparece algo nuevo que te deja con la boca abierta. Es una historia fascinante y el autor sabe cómo contarla.

Say Nothing es, sin duda alguna, una de mis mejores lecturas del año y mi favorita de no ficción junto con Putas y Guerrilleras. En fin, no quiero seguir elogiando a Radden Keefe, hay miles de cosas para decir sobre este texto, pero no sé ni por dónde empezar. Creo que si tuviera que señalar lo que más me gustó es que nunca cae en el blanco o negro, buenos o malos, sino que se sumerge en las contradicciones y complejidades que caracterizaron a este conflicto histórico. Radden Keefe no subestima a nada ni a nadie, no simplifica, al contrario, te deja con preguntas abiertas. Te deja pensando. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Addiction, Child abuse, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Police brutality

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Child abuse, Incest, and Rape

kimveach's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.0

If you are interested in The Troubles or the IRA during the latter half of the 20th century, then this is a well-crafted book.  By starting with the kidnapping of Jean McConnville, he has a thread to tie the book together.  However, it didn't work for me.  I don't read much non-fiction and was not interested in this particular story.   While I did learn much about the IRA and Northern Ireland, the large number of names and intertwining stories was tiring. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War

its_kievan's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Since I know next-to-nothing about the Troubles, or Irish history in general, Say Nothing was absolutely fascinating and bizarre. Keefe doesn't focus too much of the political details of the Troubles, or even the origins of the IRA, instead following a group of key figures who were all connected, in one way or another, to the 1972 disappearance of Jean McConville. Say Nothing traces these people from the start of the Troubles to the present, looking at what they did and where they ended up. It would be nice to get more of an investigation into why they did it, since Keefe only barely touches on the history and morality of Irish republicanism as an ideology, but it's still an incredibly compelling look into the real people behind such a vicious period of conflict (especially Marian Price, who was involved with armed terror groups into her fifties, and beloved Irish politician and ex-commander of the IRA Gerry Adams). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Pedophilia and Child abuse