Adams' memoir of growing up in the Falls Road area of West Belfast begins with a historical overview of the city and the development of the political situation there. He describes his years growing up in a city torn by sectarian strife and the effect it has had on his politics and life's work. 12 illustrations.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Sinn Fein president Adams's memoir of growing up in the Falls Road region of Belfast, spiritual center of Northern Irish republicanism, is both a nostalgic recollection of the author's early life and a fond history of the city's Catholic working class. Adams asserts that "people in this part of the world have a benign and protective attitude towards militant republicanism," and presents a detailed colloquial history of Falls Road that considers Northern Irish sectarianism within economic and class contexts. Although his subject matter and themes are steeped in the Republican vernacular, Adams writes in an informal, conversational style, largely free of overt political tones, and even manages to inject a wry sense of humor into the most touching of histories. Relatively innocent episodes from Adams's Belfast boyhood contrast with his growing awareness of religious factionalism, which, "like all sectarianism, had nothing to do with religion and was merely, as always, a profitable ruse." Although Adams's analysis of the cultural background of the Northern Ireland conflict is lucid, this memoir reveals little of Adams himself, and less of Adams the politician. Using lyrics of children's songs, details of esoteric street games, reminiscences of local characters and illustrations of landmarks from his youth, Adams instead sketches a deeply felt and gentle portrait of a people whose "courage, self-reliance, hospitality, generosity and good humour . . . is as strong now as it ever was," despite a quarter-century of warfare.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Roberts Rinehart is seeking a market niche by republishing Irish books this side of the water and gives this and another Adams title, Free Ireland, their U.S. debuts. So, is an author tour next? Hmmm. Adams has long been denied a U.S. visa because he's president of Sinn Fein, the political arm of the Irish Republican Army. But President Clinton broke Adams' losing streak earlier this year, and Adams wound up all over the media, so . . . (At this writing, a second visa apparently has been granted.) His notoriety is as likely to discourage as draw readers, but those who suspect these memoirs are the disguise for political pleading and disdain them will miss an unusual, highly readable book. Adams brings vividly alive the part of west Belfast in which he was raised. Interweaving history and local color, he re-creates the working-class Catholic community of his midcentury youth. Pat Monaghan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Memoir of a Vanishing Place,
By A Customer
This review is from: Falls Memories: A Belfast Life (Paperback)
Falls Memories is really more of a collection of short pieces on
life in the Western corner of Belfast than a novel or history with
any coehsive theme. It is literally things Gerry Adams, President
of the political party Sinn Fein, remembers about the neighborhood
in which he grew up, or memories of those who lived in the area.
There is some attempt to give a brief history and political context
for the memories, but these sections are poorly integrated into the
narratives about his boyhood adventures, the characters in the area,
and the traditions of the Falls. The context pieces sound driven
(perhaps appropriately) by anger and frustration while the narratives,
even when describing violence or sectarian harassment, have a softer
feel to them.
Falls Memories is a valuable book, despite these shortcomings.
First of all, it chronicles life in an area that has literally
been obliterated in the last 25 years. As the Northern Ireland
government has torn down unfit housing and replaced it with more
sanitary and comfortable abodes they have erased many streets
from the map, replacing them with new layouts which meet new
security standards and are less emotionally charged with history.
Secondly, much of the book deals with day to day occurances which
might happen anywhere in the world - young boys sneaking into
movies, girls playing jump rope, adults telling stories abuot the
"good old days." Falls Memories serves as a reminder that the
people affected by the Troubles are not so much different than the
rest of us.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Personal Opinion,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Falls Memories: A Belfast Life (Paperback)
The historical information in this book is fascinating. I loved the style of writing. I would recommend this book to any one interested in Irish history.
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