Kicking and Screaming: Dragging Ireland into the 21st Century [Paperback]

Ivana Bacik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0862788609 | ISBN-13: 978-0862788605 | Edition: 1

After a century of wars, civil wars, internal division, political upheaval and the growing separation of Church and State, Irish society has emerged as a twenty-first-century hybrid, where the secular, liberal outlook is now, for the first time, the most common view. Ivana Bacik examines the shape and nature of the new Ireland, discussing such contentious topics as: the make-up of the modern family, organized religion, modern sexuality, reproductive rights, equality, racism, censorship and the environment, and the central role of the legal system in formulating a framework for our changing social mores. The book shows how Irish society has evolved to its current incarnation, and where it might go from here.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Distributed for O'Brien Press, Dublin

Wisconsin edition for sale only in the U.S., its territories and dependencies, Canada, and the Philippines

About the Author

Ivana Bacik is Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College, Dublin, and the former editor of the Irish Criminal Law Journal. She is also a lawyer, a feminist campaigner, and a political activist well-known for her work on human rights and civil liberties.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: O'Brien Press; 1 edition (May 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0862788609
• ISBN-13: 978-0862788605
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, although not quite as advertised, September 19, 2006

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DFG - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kicking and Screaming: Dragging Ireland into the 21st Century (Paperback)

Starts off, as it sounds, describing Ireland's ongoing and unfinished transition from priest-ridden backwater to modern European state. But after only a couple chapters of this, it moves on to a general overview of Irish social policy. Which is still interesting.

Bacik is a lawyer but doesn't really write like one, although the book is heavy on case law. She takes a refreshingly progressive view of even the most contentious issues, such as pornography and prostitution.

She's also a Labour Party member/would-be politician and the book is rather shamelessly partisan, highlighting the positive initiatives that party has taken while simply ignoring the others - such as when they abstained from a parliamentary vote on same sex marriage, or when their Dublin mayor facilitated that city's adoption of the household waste charges she opposes.

While I was a bit disappointed not to get the book I thought I was reading (the thorough examination of the Church's fortunately waning influence over Irish society), the book that's in it is well-written, informative and useful.