Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Zeg niets: Moord en verraad in Noord-Ierland by Patrick Radden Keefe

66 reviews

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.

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Content Warnings

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

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.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Police brutality

kefink's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Torture, Death, Police brutality, Cursing, War, Addiction, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Incest, Cancer, Child abuse, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, and Suicide

timesnewroman12point's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, War, Eating disorder, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Suicide, Mental illness, Rape, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, and Torture

korpney's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, War, Eating disorder, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Vomit, Torture, and Child abuse

Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

marina_s's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

For someone with limited knowledge of “the Troubles”, this was an informative and insightful read. The narrative weaves between characters and through time in a way more reminiscent of a novel than of non-fiction. 

This book centres on the people who lost the most, and gives a real sense of trauma inflicted on everyone both during the active fighting, and the rippling after effects. I kept thinking this was further in the past but the events at the end of the book were well within my adult lifetime. How do people move on, and should they?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Police brutality, Murder, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Torture, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism

qqjj's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Vomit, Death of parent, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Medical content, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Grief, War, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Trafficking

nitar8's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Kidnapping, Confinement, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

a_v_h's review against another edition

challenging informative fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Murder, and Death of parent

dtodd's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

A tense exploration of a murder that was part of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which provides a lot of background about the conflict too. At times it was a little slow, but the final third is extremely gripping, with a shocking final reveal. Radden Keefe is forensic with much-needed detail, though this sometimes slows down the central narrative. I’m grateful to have read Say Nothing in order to broaden my knowledge of the region, and would recommend it to others.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Suicide and Torture