Making Sense Of The Troubles

Good comprehensive book to help explain a very complicated subject. Seems to be very objective and unbiased.

I am familiar with Irish history, including that of Northern Ireland, so I was able to approach this read not as a novice. I thought the authors drew all the strands together well, and without, to my mind, bias towards one side or the other. I would recommend that many should read it, particularly Americans, a number of whom have in the more recent past been seduced by the message of anti-Britishness emanating from Ireland, without appreciating the real history of Northern Ireland and understanding the complexity of the Troubles.

Simply put: If I was teaching a college-level course in Northern Ireland history, this book would be at the top of my syllabus. The authors rose to the daunting challenge of assembling a concise and readable synthesis of the Troubles in just over 200 pages. Of course one will will not cover everything; this book is not meant for this level of analysis. Authors like Tim Pat Coogan and Peter Taylor will help you get deep into the nasty, gritty details. But if you are new to the Troubles, this book is your ticket. Also included is a historic timeline--a real bonus--and some supportive tables.My only quip, yet not enough to dock it star ratings, is that it screams for an update. So many public records have recently opened up with new findings and interpretations that challenge (or put to rest) older assumptions.A 5 star read across the board, and very highly recommended from this history Ph.D.

I became interested in this conflict after watching the 2002 movie Bloody Sunday with James Nesbitt. I found myself embarrassed that I had so little knowledge related to what had been occurring in Northern Ireland for most of my life. To think that there is a conflict that has simultaneously been characterized as 1) A war for independence, 2) a civil war, 3) a war on terrorism, 4) a war for Civil Rights, and 5) a war supporting a colonial possession and state ally; occurring in a 20th century industrialized nation was fascinating to me.I was a little worried that this book might be a little skewed one way or the other; but was extremely pleased to find it to be a very even handed and balanced reference.This book does go through over 30+ years of the conflict's history; so don't expect a deep dive into any particular event or person. That being said, I was very impressed with the breadth and width of the information the authors were able to put into a book that took me a 4 day weekend to get through. From the background history leading up to Operation Banner, through the military activities of the different parties, to the politics, to the personalities involved, it was easy to follow, and an easy read.I would highly recommend this book for those, like me, who are coming into the Northern Ireland Troubles cold, and want a comprehensive overview of the conflict. This book is probably not the one for anyone wanting to get deep into any specific event or personality.

I agree with another reviewer that pictures would have helped to understand the dialogue, but the internet helped provide that. Having watched what happened in Northern Ireland with interest during the 70's onward I felt the need to understand the whole picture and this book provided me with that. When I first moved to the St Paul MN during the troubles I went to an Irish pub where I put money in a can to help the children of Belfast. Now I am not sure where that money went but I know many Irish Americans felt the IRA were Freedom Fighters. The IRA along with the Protestant Loyalist killers would receive no sympathy in this age. I think that Non-violent Civil Disobedience would have made more of an impact. It is hard to believe that to this day there is a wall separating the Catholic and Protestant in one area of Belfast.

I didn't know much about the conflicts in Northern Ireland and wanted to read a balanced account of what happened there. While I don't know the objective truths from experience, this book seemed to be balanced on who did what, who seemed to be responsible on both sides and seemed to be thoroughly researched. A good read about a disturbing topic.

It was a bit slow

Great book, non biased and I’m glad I bought it. Difficult subject to write about, I’m sure. Author was unbiased and it really was an all inclusive book in the problems in Northern Ireland.

for people who want to make sense of "The Troubles", a wonderfully researched book, couldn't put it down while reading it

Wanting to know more about the troubles (I was born in the late 80s so don’t really know much about it). Very factual, but still in a readable way and one that averts the authors view, which is good for reading it with neutrality. Worth the money.

I grew up during the troubles, living in a mainly loyalist public housing estate which bordered a the large nationalist West Belfast area. I was around 8 or 9 years of age when the recent Troubles began, and never had any sense of Catholics, Protestants, Nationalists or Loyalists. Like many, I lived through the events described in so much factual detail in this book, sometimes experiencing them first hand, and other times on the news. I was really impressed with how well this book is put together. The chronology is right on, as are the political and other details. I feel that it is a very neutral account of events - none of them stood out for me as being inaccurate, overblown, biased, and the detail level is just right. This book will certainly help others outside of Northern Ireland understand the difficulties experienced by all sides in the conflict, including victims, perpetrators, families, security forces, and political leaders. It's even a great read for folks in Northern Ireland, to remind them how much things have improved there. In my opinion this is the best account of the recent troubles on the market today - a must read for anyone wanting to understand what went on during those very dark days in Northern Irish history.

Recomanable per a una aproximació detallada als Troubles.

Venía un poco desgastado de la pasta, pero en general el libro estaba en excelentes condiciones, fuera de ese detalle todo muy bien.