I'm going to agree with the other ratings on this book and give it 3 stars. The information it contains is fascinating if also quite disturbing. To read the words of an unabashed Irish Freedom Fighter is priceless, especially as he details both what crimes he committed and his time in the gaol, all the way to negotiating the Good Friday Peace Talks. How he got there and what it took to end the hostilities not always comfortable reading.

However. Not enough thought is given to an audience who may not have the intense background in the Troubles. The groups such as Noraid were so specific to the time and the place that they really tested my understanding of the events. Yes, I know the difference between Sinn Fein, the IRA, the republicans, the Unionists, but that's about where it stops. On the other hand, the details that come into more well-known events such as Bloody Sunday and the hunger strikes under Margaret Thatcher could only be found in a book such as this one.

For anyone interested in a scholarly look at The Troubles, or interested in what makes an individual called to a cause, this book would appeal. Otherwise, you may get so bogged down in details that the story is lost. ( )