Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Μην πεις λέξη by Patrick Radden Keefe

25 reviews

cassimiranda's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative tense medium-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hannahquin's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sjanke2's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

____emily____'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emmyinthestacks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kimveach's review against another edition

Go to review page

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. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

its_kievan's review against another edition

Go to review page

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). 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

laurenparham's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

2.75

I think this book was just not for me—it’s informative about some key events but does little to contextualize the IRA’s actions in response to the state violence that drove The Troubles. If the goal is to explore how people become radicalized to commit political violence, I think it’s important to present that trajectory with more than a few cursory mentions of the oppression that led to it. I understand that would be a massive undertaking but anything less feels irresponsible, especially given how uneducated most Americans are about The Troubles and how, for many, a book like this would be their first introduction. There is no justification for what happened to Jean McConville, and I don’t think there has to be any whataboutism regarding that—it was tragic and violent and caused lifelong suffering and devastation for her family. But I do think that the British government and the loyalists earn some portion of the blame as an oppressive and exploitative force that perpetuated violence and radicalization. I do wonder why many people are so squeamish at the idea of interpersonal or paramilitary violence but sanction the same actions carried out by people acting on behalf of the state as somehow more valid and justified and less violent.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

exlibrissum's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative medium-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings