RDScally reviewed We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole
Weaving his own experiences into this account of Irish social, cultural, and economic change, O’Toole …
Review of "We Don't Know Ourselves" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This flawed but still great memoir encompassing the vast changes in Ireland, a nation emerging from both vicious, hypocritical theocracy and endemic politic corruption adds context to recent history.
That is until O'Tool's hatred for the violent actions of the IRA during the era known as The Troubles traps him into the very same dual-mindedness he decries of the Irish prior to the reforms of the past 25 years.
His venom for the IRA and its highly conflicted political leader, Gerry Adams, make it sound as though there were only one actor during The Troubles. When he does manage to mention the DUP and the British government's highly deceitful and often violent role, it's as an aside to the evils of the IRA.
Despite this deep intellectual bruise on this otherwise good work, O'Tool, a columnist the Irish Times, still manages, sometimes despite himself, to provide illuminating context in this …
This flawed but still great memoir encompassing the vast changes in Ireland, a nation emerging from both vicious, hypocritical theocracy and endemic politic corruption adds context to recent history.
That is until O'Tool's hatred for the violent actions of the IRA during the era known as The Troubles traps him into the very same dual-mindedness he decries of the Irish prior to the reforms of the past 25 years.
His venom for the IRA and its highly conflicted political leader, Gerry Adams, make it sound as though there were only one actor during The Troubles. When he does manage to mention the DUP and the British government's highly deceitful and often violent role, it's as an aside to the evils of the IRA.
Despite this deep intellectual bruise on this otherwise good work, O'Tool, a columnist the Irish Times, still manages, sometimes despite himself, to provide illuminating context in this memoir.
