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Rating: 
Summary: Demystifying Northern Ireland
Review: McCann's book is a brilliant look at the Troubles and the impact on his home town of Derry. Far too often, all we see of the troubles is stone throwing youths or bombs going off in Britain, with no explaination of how it got to this point. McCann shows brilliantly the historical context from which the troubles were spawned, and in doing so demolishes completely the myth of two tribes with no common ground. Essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about the politics of Northern Ireland.
Rating: 
Summary: Probably the finest narative of the modern Irish Troubles
Review: Quite simply, 'War and an Irish Town' is probably the finest narative of the Irish Troubles. The Author Eamonn McCann was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and his book charts the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement to the armed resistance of the I.R.A. What gives this book the advantage over the others is that the narative is overlapped with a very sharp and readable analysis of the conflict. It gives interesting and often funny insights into the characters and actions that made Derry a European, and indeed World symbol of resistance in 1969.Another crucial difference that puts McCann's book above the rest is that when you finish the book, you really feel that you have learnt something. The book doesn't stop there. When we look at conflicts around the world from Rwanda to Angola, often the question begged is why, and why are these people doing this? Eamonn with the skill and craft of a skilled journalist leaves you in no doubt that the violence of the last thirty years was neither inevitable nor simply the result of two headless communities at each others throat so often espoused by the media If you are interested in the politics and history of contemporary Ireland then this book is an absolute must.
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