Friday, August 23, 2019

August title - Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe


Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by [Keefe, Patrick Radden]Our August selection is Say Nothing: A True Story of  Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe.  Our discussion will be on Tuesday August 27 at 7:00 PM.  If you'd like to start or continue our discussion, please continue in the comments below.  Despite being non-fiction, this book definitely has elements of  mystery and suspense so spoilers are possible.  If you haven't finished the book yet, proceed at your own risk!
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3 comments:

  1. MarkAugust 24, 2019 at 7:42 AM

    Here are some ideas for discussion topics:

    1. There's a fine line between honestly depicting the glamor associated with the IRA and glamorizing the IRA. How well does Patric Radden Keefe walk that line?

    2. As happened in the '60s in Ireland and the '90s in Bosnia, ethnic and racial hatreds have a way of resurfacing after lying dormant for many years. Why did they resurface in Northern Ireland and are there any lessons to be learned? What's happening in Northern Ireland now? I know that some of our group have recently been there.

    3. Gerry Adams has been lauded around the world for getting the IRA to lay down their arms. How do we reconcile that with the disagreeable figure that is portrayed in this book?

    4. This book is framed around the mystery of Jean McConville's disappearance. How satisfying is the resolution of that mystery?

    5. The Boston College project seems like a noble effort to record history that had unintended consequences. Is there a better way?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eileen KohanAugust 27, 2019 at 7:44 AM

    Patrick Radden Keefe participated in a panel discussion at the LAT FOB in April. Here’s a link to the CSPAN video. If you want to skip ahead to his remarks go to the 4:30 & 26 minute marks.

    https://www.c-span.org/video/?459288-4/author-discussion-terrorism-history&event=459288

    In talking about Northern Ireland today he describes an incredibly brittle peace with walls separating communities, segregated by religion. “It’s a profoundly scary place. The past isn’t the past there. The past is present and that is the pathology.”

    This selection was another book that challenged my perception of a historical narrative. Gerry Adams is not a hero, and the peace agreement was flawed from the beginning.

    In a culture of silence that reveres their martyrs, what happens when you don’t die young?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 27, 2019 at 8:13 AM

    this is a test comment to see if anonymous comments work

    ReplyDelete

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