From Publishers Weekly
Parker ( Russian Voices ) has compiled an involving collection of some 60 vignettes profiling both Catholics and Protestants on the struggle in Belfast. Upon his arrival, the British writer had to learn the subtleties that mark and separate the two religious groups. Belfast people will never ask outright which you are, but they will look for clues. Parker interviews Vicky Murray, who doesn't follow any religion but is "afraid because I don't know what's going on." There's Catholic Rose Murphy, whose 17-year-old son under threat from the Protestant militia fled to London. Pat Taylor is the product of a "mixed" marriage and still thinks every day of his younger brother who was killed in sectarian fighting. Sammy Wilson is a Belfast City Councillor and Democratic Unionist who proudly recalls the siege of Londonderry in 1690 and calls Catholics "fascists." Eamon Collins is a Republican terrorist who spent time "on the blanket" in Long Kesh prison and considers himself "100% anti-British." Parker's interviewing technique, which is reminiscent of Studs Terkel's Working , supplies the reader with a valuable guide to one of the most tortured cities in the world.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
From School Library Journal
YA-A collection of 60+ interviews with people living in Belfast that gives a vivid and poignant picture of the appalling situation in Northern Ireland today. There are no simple solutions; there are no clearly defined good guys or bad guys. YAs whose introduction to the troubles in this area has come solely from popular films would do well to listen to these voices. With a few deft phrases, a rain-soaked anorak here, a ginger mustache there, a cozy tea-room or a noisy youth center, the scene is set and the people tell their various stories. The selection is scrupulously evenhanded: men and women, old and young, Catholic and Protestant are all heard in heartbreaking clarity. The dialect rings true whether the speaker is a college professor or an "ordinary Belfast housewife." Those who have decided that the situation is simply a matter of Catholics and Protestants learning to get along will be awakened to the underlying and more complicated economic and political issues facing the country. The book is long, but easy to read. The individual interviews are quite short, two or three pages at best. These voices offer valuable insight into many of the world's problems.
Pamela Beggan, Good Shepherd School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Pamela Beggan, Good Shepherd School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
