Belfast Diary : War as a Way of Life

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable account...
Review: of what it is like to live, work and experience the turmoil of "The Troubles." Conroy covered the Troubles the right way...he went in and lived among the people in Belfast instead of swooping in for drive-by interviews like too many journalists have done in the past. He also manages to convey what he experienced while maintaining objectivity...this skill when dealing with terrorist and paramilitary violence is something writers covering the "War on Terror" these days could learn from. Required reading for anybody interested in Northern Ireland, its history and how to possibly make a better future in that wartorn nation...

Rating:
Summary: Great Story Told By An Outsider For Outsiders
Review: This book answered a lot of my questions about the conflict in Ireland. The history of why Protestants and Catholics don't get along and how the Protestants got there by the British sheds a lot of light on the current day conflict. I found myself furious with the British government many, many times for the way they made the situation worse. John Conroy was fortunate to be in Ireland in the early 80's, a time period I find very interesting with the Hunger Strikes. I would recommend this book to any person wishing to understand the conflict over there.

Rating:
Summary: Necessary Read for the American Audience
Review: This book was recommended to me as excellent reading about the Troubles, particularly for Americans. I whole-heartedly agree; it is all that and more. Conroy does describe the daily workings of life in Northern Ireland but he also tackles the prejudices and ignorance of Americans (and the U.S. government) when it comes to the political climate in Northern Ireland. He pulls no punches and sugar-coats no issues. He explicates the situation as he sees it and is not afraid to indict those who turn blind eyes. The version I read was older so I have not yet seen the updated book that includes information on semi-recent IRA ceasefires. But I do think many of Conroy's observations are still applicable, changes in administration notwithstanding. He describes the intolerant view towards Sinn Fein taken by the American government in the 80s and the biased, oversimplified treatment of the Troubles by the American media. Indeed as Conroy notes it has not been hard to sell the British point-of-view to American audiences but what of the counterpoint? When do proponents of the other side get a chance? Conroy also concludes that for as long as Northern Ireland remains a British enclave, continued violence is guaranteed. For that reason alone, Americans owe it to themselves to read _Belfast Diary_.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding realism
Review: Ya the truth is scarry. My parents are both from Belfast and imigrated when I was an infant, as we still have many relatives over there I have heard about the troubles all my life but I have come to a new understanding of what they have been saying all these years. This is not a text book, it is a book that anyone can read and understand.