"Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe is a story of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, centered on the 1972 abduction and murder of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten. Keefe brings together the personal stories of key figures like Dolours Price, Brendan Hughes, and Gerry Adams, revealing the complexity of the conflict. The book looks at the culture of silence in Northern Ireland, where "saying nothing" became a survival tactic. It examines the armed struggle, the long-lasting trauma inflicted on families, and the difficulties of achieving peace after decades of violence. Keefe illustrates the human cost of The Troubles, offering a picture of a society struggling with its past.

Our group discussed how the author made the story personal by focusing on the two women – Dolours Price and Jean McConville; McConville was murdered with the help of Dolours. We felt sympathy for Jean’s 10 children who were left to fend for themselves and then sent to an orphanage after their mother disappeared. We were left with disdain for Gerry Adams who denied being a member of the IRA and kept his freedom. There was a Boston College project that recorded people’s stories of their activities with the IRA with the understanding that the information would be kept secret and locked up, but the oral histories still got out.

For more information:

Say Nothing series streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu
This is Happiness, novel by Niall Williams
Ireland, A Novel, by Frank Delaney
Many books by Sebastian Barry
Many books by Colm Toibin

Our next book will be Autocracy, Inc. The Dictators who want to Run the World, by Anne Applebaum, which we will discuss on April 9th, 10:00 am at the Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Parkway, St. Paul, MN 55116.