McCann's account of what it is like to grow up a Catholic in a
Northern Irish ghetto--first published in 1974--quickly became a
classic account of the feelings generated by British rule. The author
was at the center of events in Derry which first brought Northern
Ireland to world attention. He witnessed the gradual transformation
of the civil rights movement from a mild campaign for "British
Democracy" to an all-out military assault on the British state.
This book describes the people involved in the war, gives an account
of the springs of the Catholic opposition, shows what their world was
like and how their background affected the daily conduct of events.
McCann gets beyond the rhtoroic of the organized groups to the real
people involved--people who are not so different from those in any
other British town.
