Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern IrelandSay Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1972, Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked members of the IRA and never seen again. Starting from that disappearance, Patrick Radden Keefe tells the story of Northern Ireland's Troubles through the people involved, including the militant Price sisters, the IRA commander Brendan Hughes and the politician Gerry Adams, and through a secret oral-history project whose recordings would come back to haunt them.
Why it's worth reading
It's history that reads like a gripping true-crime thriller, and it's also a profound book about the cost of political violence and the silence that follows it. It won the NBCC Award and is on the New York Times list of the best books of the century.
You'll love it if you liked
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11Good to know
You don't need to know anything about the Troubles beforehand. It includes bombings, killings and torture described plainly.
By the numbers
- Readers99 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics81 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller60 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz10 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #2 of the 198 history books we rank
- #12 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #20 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Gripping, Dark
More by Patrick Radden Keefe
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
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Quick answers
Is Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland worth reading?
Yes. It's history that reads like a gripping true-crime thriller, and it's also a profound book about the cost of political violence and the silence that follows it. It ranks #20 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 91.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland about?
In 1972, Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked members of the IRA and never seen again. Starting from that disappearance, Patrick Radden Keefe tells the story of Northern Ireland's Troubles through the people involved, including the militant Price sisters, the IRA commander Brendan Hughes and the politician Gerry Adams, and through a secret oral-history project whose recordings would come back to haunt them.
How long does it take to read Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland?
About 13 hours (519 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland won?
NBCC Award (Nonfiction) winner (2019).
What should I read after Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland?
If you liked it, try Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson or The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright.