Customer Reviews

The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal and the Search for Peace

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book provides a good survey of the Troubles of Northern Ireland. I would say in agreement with the other reviewer that it is definitely written from a nationalist perspective. Coogan does not, however, endorse IRA violence. But I think he is fascinated by the IRA, which might be why he has also written probably the definitive book on the IRA. This fascination does come out in "The Troubles." This is a helpful book because it takes you through the Troubles, providing a narrative of major events. Coogan knows whereof he writes; he is a journalist in the South of Ireland. He has seen the effects different acts have had on the mentality of people North and South. For that reason it is interesting.
It being written from a nationalistic perspective will not get in the way of most readers because most readers on this subject also sympathize with the nationalist side. And I don't believe that Coogan distorts facts. His bias comes out but his survey is the best I've found so far. His account is very densely written, however, and can be hard to follow. Also, the book ends in 1996. This might have seemed a logical endpoint at the time, but now it leaves you hanging because so much substantive negotiation has taken place since then.

This excellent overview is both informational and detailed, while not focusing overly on the more lurid "true crime" aspects as do so many other anecdotally-based works that suffuse this genre of histories. While other reviewers have pointed to its political and legal detail as uninteresting, this story could not be told properly without providing the amount of context present here (and necessary, for an informed telling, in any good history). There are plenty of readers who require more than simple assertion or anecdotal popular versions of history to glean the most from the subject matter, and this book provides the detailed background that separates a work of history from a "story about the past."

I also struggled with the subject-orientation of the book, which at times made chronology challenging. The edition (2nd, 1996) I read did not have a Chronology, which would have come in handy. Also, at times the author presupposes a familiarity with British and Irish political structures and individuals that I did not have. Perhaps a handy Index of Notable Persons or something like the glossary of organizations and their acronyms found in the appendices would help with this.

At least one reviewer feels (and another agreed) that this is written from a Nationalist perspective, and that this bias harms the book. I feel that the illusion of objectivity associated with various works in the humanities, social sciences, AND all other aspects of studying and reporting on human behavior still holds sway. Every author brings their bias with them, and can only do their best to write with that in mind while openly dealing with the potential biases resulting from their subject-position within the text itself. This author does that, and his interjections in that vein have been commented upon in other reviews as well. He never hides his origins in the Republic, his role as a journalist, and his direct impact on some of the events he describes. He treads the line between not injecting himself into the work (anathema in journalism) and owning up to potential biases on his part very carefully and, I feel, successfully.

That said, I too suspect a sympathy for the Nationalist and/or Republican cause on the part of the author, but it is not different from the sympathy I've seen in a number of neutral parties engaging with the Troubles for the first time. The fact is that individuals raised in a tradition of Liberal Humanism (not the modern political sense of Liberal, by the way) seem to me more likely to identify with the Catholic population of Northern Ireland than with the Protestant Unionist perspective, especially if they're coming to the situation as neutrals.

I recently made a trip to NI to visit relatives, and I did a "Troubles" tour the entire time. I picked up several Troubles books, including Making Sense of the Troubles which is the best bok on the subject. However, this is the only non-memoir or "true crime" book which is 400+ pages AND includes photos.

Clearly, Catholics have suffered disproportionately. But I disagree with the previous reviewer that "most people who are interested in this subject sympathize with the Nationalists." I was interested in the whole civil war aspect. Coogan, as a native who lived through many things, has a peerless perspective to offer. He has a lot of detail and in-depth writing on many topics which are probably all but forgotten for many.

However, two complaints: as a general history for the topic this book is dense and not all that enjoyable a read. It is not particularly chronological, and is heavy on political and legalist sections which are crushingly dull. There are the odd story which is entrancing, but not too many.

Secondly, Coogan is clearly more bothered by Loyalists killing than the IRA killing. Far removed from the events, after several years of low paramilitary activity, anything other than total outrage for either side falls flat. There are many times Coogan goes on for pages listing Loyalist killings, which are obscene and savage, and then ends with some sentence like "The IRA was responsible for 13 civilian deaths during this same time." What makes this annoying is that one of the first things people think about when they think of NI is the IRA, and although Nationalist have many legitimate complaints, it is just not acceptable to have a sort of starry eyed view of terrorists. Coogan in many places seems to revel in his access to IRA members, taking it ass a sign of how cool he is or something. But in the book, it comes out as being soft on crime.

There is no doubt that Coogan has put hard work and effort into this book. However, I found it to be completely impenetrable and never made it past page 50. Also, this book (in the 50 pages I read!) appeared to me to be written from a Republican slant. Perhaps I am wrong about this and the work becomes more objective as it develops, but I suspect anyone with a Unionist point of view may find this is not the book for them. My background is Irish Catholic and whilst I know there have been injustices in the past, I am by no means an IRA sympathiser. I am still looking for a book on this subject that is more even-handed in its approach.