[.ca] Rebel Hearts: Journeys Within The IRA's Soul (ISBN 0312156324)

informative:
I am not at all Irish but have been reading about Ireland's history since high school. After reading alot about the Rising and past history, I was looking for something that tells of more recent accounts in the land. Rebel Hearts was it. The stories are excellent and left the way they happened. Toolis was not afraid to leave commentary run on. If that is how long an interview lasted then that is how it was written. I did not find this book bias either wich is always a plus for me. My only problem was getting lost in a few places. Seemed like a story would jump around from beginning to end back to beginning. Maybe this was just my error though.

go beyond the title:
After you get beyond the title of Toolis' book, and beyond the sappy first chapter of family history, he offers a highly interesting account of the people behind the militant Republican movement. Toolis has sought out people who don't usually make the front page--family members and informers--as well as prominent Republicans and Martin McGuinness, who "is the IRA," according to Toolis' sources. By documenting the every day workings of the people involved in the conflict, he establishes the complexity of their motivations and actions. The reader is not left with a black and white view of the struggle. I give the book four stars because his sources are very good and original, enabling him to give a very thorough view of his subject. The book deserves to be read. The silly involvement of his personal stories adds nothing to the book and almost caused me to put it down. Also he gets caught up in the argument he is making with his sources so that the prologue and afterward seem out of place.

Review of Rebel Hearts:
I have read many books on the struggles in Northern Ireland but this book stands apart from them all. Toolis has the unique ability to remain both objective and passionate about this topic. As the subtitle suggests he truly gets into the soul of the IRA. His book is based on research, interviews and perosnal experiences that could have placed Toolis himself in harms way. Some may see this as a weakness, but Toolis's conclusions are clear. Prior to reading this book I knew a lot of facts about the struggles of the IRA. After reading Toolis's book I suddenly understood some of what created and continues to fuel these struggles. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Irish History, the history of the IRA or interested in the violent struggles that mark the 20th century.

Both Profound & Better than Expected:
I read _Rebel Hearts_ as part of my research for my senior thesis on the Northern Question and found it better than I ever imagined. While it does indeed profile the lives of particular IRA members (as already mentioned by other reviewers), it does so much more: it delves into the psychology of how and why the IRA exists and operates. To me, this is a much bigger issue than individual biographies, as good as they are. From the book's preface, Toolis is clear about his position: he foresees peace in Ireland only through "a transfer of power away from the British Crown." He explores Irish martyrdom, politics, history, and methodology, though I would caution that this book is no crash-course on Irish history. If you are looking to know more about that subject, _Rebel Hearts_ already presumes a fair amount of knowledge. (But Toolis does include a list of abbreviations at the beginning.) Toolis delves into the link between politics and religion without browbeating the reader and he thoroughly explains the deep-seated spiritual issues that accompany the political conflicts in Northern Ireland. His compelling conclusion at the book's close gave me goosebumps as I read it: "There will be peace in Ireland and it will be a republican peace." Here, here.

An amazing piece of work:
Leaving this review short, I will say that "Rebel Hearts" is an amazing book. I believe that Kevin Toolis does an excellent job in telling the stories of individuals, families, and groups involved in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. I found his personal commentary made his stories more interesting. Not only is it a documentation of people's lives and experiences, but a first person account as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this topic, and even those who may not be.