Amazon.com
It's hard to imagine a more romantic real-life story than the long, forbidden love affair of the 18th-century Venetian nobleman Andrea Memmo and a half-English beauty named Giustiniana Wynne. Andrea Di Robilant's A Venetian Affair is drawn in part from a cache of letters discovered by the author's father in his ancestral palazzo on the Grand Canal. In 1753, his ancestor Andrea Memmo had been introduced to a lovely girl of uncertain station (illegitimate, although her parents later married). The Wynnes's position was precarious enough in Venice's rigid society, and Giustiniana's mother took every step to prevent the young aristocrat from corrupting her daughter. But the two lovers began to meet in secret: exchanging letters through confederates and communicating in public through an elaborate code of nods and gestures. They even came within a few days of being married before further dark revelations about Giustiniana's family put a permanent end to their hopes. Although Memmo went on to have an illustrious career in the dying Venetian Republic, it is Giustiniana's astonishing later life that really captures the reader. A Venetian Affair provides both a rich picture of the times--including cameo appearances by that scamp, Casanova--and a convincing account of an enduring passion. --Regina Marler
Book Description
In the waning days of Venice’s glory in the mid-1700s, Andrea Memmo was scion to one the city’s oldest patrician families. At the age of twenty-four he fell passionately in love with sixteen-year-old Giustiniana Wynne, the beautiful, illegitimate daughter of a Venetian mother and British father. Because of their dramatically different positions in society, they could not marry. And Giustiniana’s mother, afraid that an affair would ruin her daughter’s chances to form a more suitable union, forbade them to see each other. Her prohibition only fueled their desire and so began their torrid, secret seven-year-affair, enlisting the aid of a few intimates and servants (willing to risk their own positions) to shuttle love letters back and forth and to help facilitate their clandestine meetings. Eventually, Giustiniana found herself pregnant and she turned for help to the infamous Casanova–himself infatuated with her.
Two and half centuries later, the unbelievable story of this star-crossed couple is told in a breathtaking narrative, re-created in part from the passionate, clandestine letters Andrea and Giustiniana wrote to each other.
Customer Reviews:
Historical romance - the real thing!.......2007-06-08
I am an avid reader of historical fiction and usually dabble in non-fiction a few times a year. Venice seems to be a pull lately, and this wonderful and detailed account of two young lovers during the last days of Venice was a treat.
First, it is thrilling to read a real life account of a love forbidden by class and social snobbery, and two people who could not help themselves but to risk reputation, political power and wealth in spite of it all. Similar to fairy tales, Andrea Memmo and Giustiniana Wynne must contend with scheming enemies, jealous contenders and a watchful and foreboding mother, and in response they develop a secret code and a network of informants, allies and spies that spans Europe at times.
Second, they were pals with Casanova. How could life in Venice or Paris be boring when Casanova is around? His exploits have lived on for 250 years - thus reading anything that bears witness to his world first hand is fascinating.
Third, all is not roses in this romance. In addition to the aforementioned barriers to their love, they must also overcome infidelity, jealousy, distrust and large, looming secrets. Reading excerpts from their letters and seeing how they accomplish these feats is amazing. Giustiniana in particular shows astonishing cunning at times - and manages to accomplish a feat which today still seems impossible to the media and general public. Just goes to show how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Finally, the European scene during this time is fascinating in and of itself. I loved having the opportunity to witness it through Giustiniana's eyes and words, and watching her grow as well. We see her develop from a sheltered, dreamy adolescent into a worldly woman who was a century or more ahead of the rest of the world with regard to women's roles and freedoms. Her lost love, personal sacrifices and struggles to be accepted by society shaped her into a fascinating woman.
Andrea Di Robilant deserves enormous thanks for bringing his father's dream into fruition by translating these letters, researching family and political history, and writing it all down to share with the world.
A true life love story better than fiction.......2007-03-16
Through a series of letters a pair of lovers in 18th century Venice take great strides to be together. Based on ancestral correspondence written in code, Di Robilant pieces together a bond too powerful to break until the end of their days.
L'amour, l'amour!.......2006-10-26
A true-live bodice ripper! Fiction doesn't get better or more outragous than this heartbreaking story. Surrounded by the faded decadent glories of 18th century Venice, this book serves up a remarkable slice of history. It stretches from the palazzos of Venice to the court of Louis XVI to London and back...seduction, romance, infidelity, love found and lost, comedy, tragedy and skeletons popping out of the family closet! This is a beautifully, bitter-sweet family story that emerges from old love letters that is told with tenderness and compassion. I've passed out half a dozen copies of this book to friends. Whether your interest is in romance or specifically the history of Venice and the period, this is a must read.
Romantic Read.......2006-08-30
I brought this book with me to Venice last year, and read it there. A great book to bring with you on your next trip to La Serenissima. Fun, historical read. Interesting. Romantic.
Classic Romance!.......2006-08-04
This book immerses the reader into 18th Century Venice as well as Paris and London. The author is able to successfully capture the essense of that period. The love letters let the reader go into the two main characters' minds. We, the readers, feel their joys and sorrows. It's a fascinating look at 18th Century Europe. I highly recommend it!
Customer Reviews:
A World War II spy novel and a nice guide to Venice.......2007-07-12
This is one of Helen MacInnes two best novels. The story is dated, a plot to assassinate De Gaulle, but the writing is good and the descriptions of Paris and Venice make it fun. I like her novels because they bring the locations to life. If you are going to visit Venice, this is almost as good as a guidebook to give you the feel of the place. I am not the only Helen MacInnes fan to spend hours tracing the locations of her stories. The characters are well done and, as usual, there is romance and a happy ending. This is one of her best.
one of the best from a great thriller novelist.......2004-11-23
MacInnes excelled at writing thriller stories about innocent travellers (almost always Americans in Europe) who fall into an espionage situation and are too patriotic to get out while the getting is good. They also feature a romantic plot, which is linked (somehow) to the thiller plot. "North By Northwest" is almost a perfect MacInnes novel, except that it wasn't. But if you've seen the movie, you'll know what I mean.
THE VENETIAN AFFAIR is one of her best, written in the peak of the Cold War and the peak of her career. A resourceful, intelligent amateur gets into a situation where a skilled agent would fear to tread, and then manages with luck and pluck to get back out again. Several of the characters are continued in THE DOUBLE IMAGE (a better novel, but only by the smallest of margins).
Try it ... you'll like it.
An excellent thriller........1999-10-07
Back to the cold war era, a cold war spy thriller, written cold war era style. I chanced on this book in my grandmothers library and could not put it down. I's even greater now that you know the iron curtain did indeed fall down. Highly, highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
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A Venetian Affair
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 096543432X |
Product Description
It's hard to imagine a more romantic real-life story than the long, forbidden love affair of the 18th-century Venetian nobleman Andrea Memmo and a half-English beauty named Giustiniana Wynne. Andrea Di Robilant's A Venetian Affair is drawn in part from a cache of letters discovered by the author's father in his ancestral palazzo on the Grand Canal. In 1753, his ancestor Andrea Memmo had been introduced to a lovely girl of uncertain station (illegitimate, although her parents later married). The Wynnes's position was precarious enough in Venice's rigid society, and Giustiniana's mother took every step to prevent the young aristocrat from corrupting her daughter. But the two lovers began to meet in secret: exchanging letters through confederates and communicating in public through an elaborate code of nods and gestures. They even came within a few days of being married before further dark revelations about Giustiniana's family put a permanent end to their hopes. Although Memmo went on to have an illustrious career in the dying Venetian Republic, it is Giustiniana's astonishing later life that really captures the reader. A Venetian Affair provides both a rich picture of the times--including cameo appearances by that scamp, Casanova--and a convincing account of an enduring passion.--Regina Marler
Product Description
He combines words and 44 color photographs to capture the essence of the Venice experience, sharing with the reader impressions of a particular moment in a fabulous place.
Average customer rating:
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Love affair--a Venetian journal
Wright Morris
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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Amazon.com
Bell Hooks, the influential writer of Ain't I A Woman?, offers a black and feminist perspective on the issue of race in America. Throughout the 23 essays, Hooks seeks a way out of the cycle of racism. A provocative voice seeking wisdom in the din, she boldly asserts "this nation can be transformed... we can resist racism and in the act of resistance recover ourselves and be renewed."
Book Description
One of our country's premier cultural and social critics, bell hooks has always maintained that eradicating racism and eradicating sexism must go hand in hand. But whereas many women have been recognized for their writing on gender politics, the female voice has been all but locked out of the public discourse on race.Killing Rage speaks to this imbalance. These twenty-three essays are written from a black and feminist perspective, and they tackle the bitter difficulties of racism by envisioning a world without it. They address a spectrum of topics having to do with race and racism in the United States: psychological trauma among African Americans; friendship between black women and white women; anti-Semitism and racism; and internalized racism in movies and the media. And in the title essay, hooks writes about the "killing rage"-the fierce anger of black people stung by repeated instances of everyday racism-finding in that rage a healing source of love and strength and a catalyst for positive change.bell hooks is Distinguished Professor of English at City College of New York. She is the author of the memoir Bone Black as well as eleven other books. She lives in New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Bell Hooks gives a WOW factor that smacks you right in the kisser.......2007-09-07
This book packs one hell of a wallop. Ms HOOKS first essay titled Killing Rage put my teeth on edge, for I have had a similar experience, only because I can pass for white it didn't happen until my Black father appeared at my side, need I say more? However what is brilliant about this particular book is that it does not lower itself to bash white people and point out their zillion faults, I know there will be some who disagree with me, but reading each essay I got the sense of someone who has an uncute understanding of racism, its roots past and present and why sometimes so many people of colour are defeated by a system of institutional racism that is at times so covert we are accused of lying about it!
Bell HOOKS book pulls no punches, but it is a candid discourse that is well argued, well written but most all incredibly easy to read and understand.
This is a book that if you can't get your hands on a copy, go out and beg, borrow or steal, it is that good and that hard hitting.
You go Ms HOOKS!
Racist Drivel.......2007-05-29
Very rarely can I sum up a book in two words. On this occasion, I can.
"Racist drivel."
Miss (or is it Ms?) "bell hooks" looks for racism in every situation she can possibly find, and--even though these situations are told through HER point of view--she often comes off as barking mad. Very few of these situations portray racism. It's almost like she's anticipating the slightest of racist actions from a white person, ready to pounce with her ridiculous "Killing Rage." Is THAT not racist?
0/10
I guess racism against white people is OK.......2005-12-07
It wasn't long ago that I despised "racism", which I felt meant oppression, exclusion and generally dislike of peoples with different skin color attributes.
It took me a while to realize that in the world of uber-Politically Correct Leftist activism, "racism" basically translates to "evil white people putting everyone down".
A few days ago one of my Latino college professors referred to me as a "Anglo Saxon". I'm not sure if she knows this, but it is a known fact that Anglo Saxons are actually one ethnic group of caucasians among many, and I myself am Slavic. Can I play the race card too and become a victim? It sure looks fun
The Most Honest Appraisal I Can Give.......2005-08-24
"bell hooks" may very well be insane.
Rather than take responsibility for her own ludicrous actions and assertions, Ms. Hooks continually reasserts her position that none-none!-of her cruel and immoral actions are her own fault because of the ridiculous misfortune she had by being born dark-skinned and female.
I am an academic, I admit, but I live in the real world, and I know that the vast majority of Americans are simply attempting to carve out lives as best they can. We work, we sleep, we pray. Sometimes we fall in love. Sometimes we read, and I deeply regret the thought of Ms. Hook's racist immorality falling into the hands of already volatile citizens. When our country can no longer rise up and denounce racism (which Ms. Hooks claims to do, though of course, only perpetuates the problem), when we do not thoroughly reject those who advocate violence, theft, and irresponsibility, we are indeed in a sad and terrifying state.
The great civil rights leaders of the 1960's insisted upon non-violence. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. built an entire system of social reform upon the concept of peaceful resistance. I know, grade-school regurgitation, but Ms. Hooks could stand to review (or, dare I say, read for the first time) her Dr. King. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" carefully outlines the fact that civil rights are in adherence with Divine Law, and that there is a just, holy, and perfect law which all humans must obey.
How can the racist rants-the "Killing Rage-of Bell Hooks possibly compare to the heights of Dr. King's moral reasoning? The Civil Rights movement was a humble, firm request that the United States government obey natural law. What does Ms. Hooks have to offer? Anger. Hatred. Accusation.
In "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," Dr. King is careful to say that should the Civil Rights movement forget its Christian roots (he warns, particularly, about conversion to Islam), it will fail in its endeavors. What have civil rights been since our society has, in great chunks, disregarded God? Violence, the death of innocents, lies, double standards, the welfare state, fatherless children, the rise of drugs and gangs.
Ms. Hooks, before you and your kind crept into our university systems (which, of course, we touchingly remember are the bourgeois institutions busily funding your lush lifestyle), black children were raised by two parents, in relatively safe neighborhoods. They were taught to love God and country, and to do, as Dr. King and all moral leaders have done, what is right.
You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Ms. Hooks, for presenting your message as helpful. You are not helping. You are a woman obsessed; you are resentful; you have no peace. How could anyone possibly want to live as you so claim? Do you desire discord? Are you so hardened to your own heart? Are you so evil?
I urge all who are concerned with issues of race to consider Dr. King (immoral though he was, in many sad ways), to urge one another to live righteously, and leave the garbage Ms. Hooks spreads on the curb, where the bourgeois-funded trash collectors will, if we're lucky, cart it away.
How we can all help each other.......2005-08-23
This book gives a nuanced observation to the white supremacist structure of our society in America and how this structure is continually reinforced through the socialization and mentality of all races. hooks speaks of the tool of the media depicting the portrayal of People of Color (especially the double minorities: Women of color). The systematic procedures of the judicial system and law enforcement that inevitably predicts and breeds the dynamics of societies where blacks are the eyesores of society. Then she addresses the internal problems of the Black community in relation to the color-caste system and the capitalistic and patriarchal view African-Americans oppress themselves with. She includes her experiences in relation to how she interacted with Whites who were unaware of their supremacist behavior and Blacks who were assimilated and exhibited this same elitist attitude. This is an excellent book on bringing us together as a people to help end this oppressive structure to society and the responsiblity all races have to reaching this goal. Until then, America is a racial melting pot where there is only one chef in the kitchen.
Amazon.com
Eamon Collins never pulled a trigger for the Irish Republican Army. But he helped organize several hits--some "successful," others not. Upon joining the IRA, he was warned that "in all probability, [he] would end up on the run, in prison, or dead." Collins would end up all three: after a bombing attack--in which he had played no part--he was arrested, and after five days of punishing interrogation, agreed to turn informer. Changes of heart eventually led him to recant his confessions, and he was sent to prison. Upon his release, the IRA forced him into exile "outside the war zone." As time passed, he returned to his family home and tried to move on. In 1995 Collins appeared on British television to tell the story of his life in the IRA.
Killing Rage presents his story in fuller detail, allowing Collins to try to explain "why a segment of people within the Catholic population believed that the best way to redress their grievances was through violence." Collins also painted an unsavory portrait of the IRA--while showing their Protestant counterparts in an equally unflattering light.
In his introduction, Collins admits he is sorry about the deaths he caused:
But my sorrow is not enough.... By exposing myself to the anger of my former comrades and the families of my victims, I wanted to show that I had thought long and hard about what had happened and that it is possible to become a different person--as we all have to become different people if we are to live together in Northern Ireland without political violence.
Killing Rage, however, clearly reopened old wounds. Collins was found murdered on January 28, 1999. --Sunny Delaney
Customer Reviews:
"The Troubles" -- A View From the Inside.......2007-03-15
Book Review:
"KILLING RAGE" By Eamon Collins
Reviewed By Ralph Couey
"Killing Rage" vividly recounts the compelling personal journey of Eamon Collins through the violent morass of Northern Ireland politics; the evolution from committed Republican, to terrorist, to an activist for peace.
For most Americans, the dominant impression of the war in Northern Ireland would be a confused mélange of news video images, reports of exploded bombs, and dead women and children. With little exception, the violent tactics of the Irish Republican Army have met with universal condemnation. Even a basic understanding of the roots of the conflict and the reasons for its perpetuation would prove quite beyond the ability of most to recount. For the first time, however, the words and passion of Eamon Collins provide an honest, if chilling account of his involvement in the conflict as a member in various capacities of the Provisional Wing of the Irish Republican Army between 1978 and 1987.
The book opens abruptly and brutally with a detailed description of Collins' first operation in December 1978, the killing of Major Ivan Toombs of the Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR). As Collins works to gather intelligence on his target he takes us through the process of dealing with a very human conflict:
"For me, the more I found out about him, the more admirable I found him. I liked him and felt that in other circumstances we might have been friends." (Page 20)
"...to strike at Toombs was to strike at an ancient colonial system of elites. Killing Toombs would also be a symbol of our dogged resistance to inequality and injustice..." (Page 23)
"He was an idea, a force, not a person with a face. He had no humanity for me." (Page 17)
This apparent moral conflict occurs repeatedly throughout the book in Collins' continual debates with himself over the effectiveness of political violence. Collins also spends some time discussing the roots of the Irish conflict, which began as a growing dislike between the Protestant majority and his Catholic minority, which he characterizes as "... (The) Catholic underclass, marginalized, on the periphery of society, jobless, poorly educated, powerless and voiceless." (Page 12) Students of the American Civil Rights Movement might recognize some clear parallels between life as a Catholic in Northern Ireland and life as an African-American in this country. Indeed, Collins recounts several incidents during both his and his parent's childhood of acts of discrimination and outright violence committed against Catholics by Protestant civilians, police, and military. As might be expected, this violence went largely unpunished. It was out of this atmosphere of hate that the Republican movement gained strength. Over time, however, it changed from just a civil rights movement to "...a very ultra-left kind of Marxism." Collins continues,
"I believed that the IRA could be turned into an organization which could take on the capitalist state and the agents of that state... I saw the struggle in internationalist terms: I believed Irish republicans should forge links with their brothers and sisters in Lebanon, in Germany, Italy, or Palestine, to help overthrow the forces who were retrenching capitalism in all the western democracies." (Page 12)
Much of the book contains accounts of various IRA operations in which Collins was involved. While he still remained a committed soldier, he nevertheless began to see things that in his mind tarnished the image of the IRA warrior. He describes the killing of a man named Norman Hanna in January 1982 who had been wrongly identified as a member of the Ulster Defense Reserve by an IRA hit man who Collins had recruited. His remorse for this wrongful death is clear:
"That night for the first time, I could not be reassured by any grand or angry political scheme. Where were we going? Where was I going? I had never felt so empty. I remember touching my wife, kissing her hair and crying silently. I was crying for Hanna, perhaps for his wife and child, but also mostly for myself, for what I had become." (Page 117)
Later on, Collins rationalizes the killing by recalling the thousands of Catholics who had died in the cause. He spends the subsequent 18 months struggling to suppress his compassion. Over time, he notes, "Each subsequent death mattered less to me than the previous one." (Page 120) However, from this point Collins began to realize the abject amorality and violent banality of those with whom he was associated. His vision of helping to bring an end to injustice included participation by committed patriots. The reality was his involvement with men of violence, not political passion; in effect, stone killers. In September of 1983, he begins to have his first serious doubts:
"...I began to ask myself not only whether I personally should continue to be a member of the IRA, but also whether the armed struggle itself was worth continuing. If all we had to offer was bumbling thuggishness, and if we could only attract the naive or the brutal, how could we appeal to the mass of Irish people in the late twentieth century?" (Page 176)
During this time, near the end of 1984, Collins had a brutal confrontation with Gerry Adams, the President of Sinn Fein, the fallout of which would shadow him the remainder of his time in the IRA. Collins saw Sinn Fein as leaving behind the constitutional nationalism that had fueled the Republican movement in favor of coalition-driven parliamentarianism. This was being done by the IRA in Belfast where "...the republican movement's power was becoming concentrated among aspiring politicians who were stealthily moving towards a political compromise and abandonment of the armed struggle." (Page 235) The result was a power struggle within the IRA. The combination of the loss of commitment from the Belfast IRA, the mere 13 per cent vote for Sinn Fein in the Irish elections, and his own disillusionment brought Collins to a penultimate moment of decision.
"It (the IRA) had not lost the war, but nor could it win an outright victory. So, the IRA's struggle had become pointless. We had no right to take offensive action, and the Irish people had told the IRA in the recent elections that they had no mandate to continue the war in their name. In the last quarter of 1984, I was finished as an IRA man. I began to think that the republican movement's shift towards political compromise was based on a more perceptive appraisal of reality..." (Pages 242-243)
It is perhaps part of human nature that, when faced with perceived injustice, the spirit cries out for action. Certainly, this was the case with Eamon Collins. At an early age, he learned at his mother's knee the terrible cruelties inflicted on Catholics by the Protestants and the British government. He recalls, "My mother instilled in me the grievances of the vanquished." (Page 36) Objectively, any observer when faced with the reality of Irish history would be hard-put not to find sympathy with the republican cause. One can even understand that the active failure of the law to define justice will inevitably lead to violence by the oppressed. Culturally, Americans are intimate with this concept. The overriding question, which lies between every paragraph in this book, is how much violence does it take to change things, and at what point does one admit when its usefulness is at an end?
The story of the Provisional IRA, as recounted by Collins, should be an object lesson for revolutionaries. While the initial motives for the war were pure (lifting the oppression of Catholics), over time the IRA seemed to fall in love with the act of violence itself while forgetting the reasons for it. Collins talks at length about this love of violence, even among those he recruited. This is evident in their discussions, which covered tactical matters but very little about their political motivations. In the end, it became violence for violence's sake.
It is also important to note, again, the shift in ideology by the IRA. The Republican movement and the original Irish Republican Army grew out of the efforts of Catholics to protect their own from the violent depredations of Protestants, in short, to protect the Church. In the 1970's the Provisional Wing of the IRA, or Provos, adopted a Marxist ideology. Marxism repudiates religion. Since from this point, the struggle became more about political ideology than about protecting Catholicism it's fair to say that the original purpose for violent resistance became largely irrelevant, although still a source for powerful rhetoric. Marches and protests were more aimed at making martyrs out of IRA men killed by the opposition, than about equal rights for Catholics. Indeed, the confrontation between Collins and Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams occurred during a march honoring the death of a young IRA volunteer. Adams took actions to ensure that the protest remained peaceful. Collins, on the other hand, was convinced that forcing a violent confrontation would bring worldwide attention to their plight (Pages 223-224). The confrontation ended with Collins hurling a brutal, ferocious, and very public insult at Adams. Yet even with his strong passions, he was still able to look at the situation with a fair degree of pragmatism:
"Why was Adams trying to defuse situations which offered such potential? His behavior only made sense if the war was over. I think that it was at this funeral that I realized, with depressing clarity that the war was over. Adams was behaving in this way because he knew that this was true; he could see that there was no point in inflicting too much more unnecessary suffering on the people. Life, any life, was better than this, and yet we were continuing to embrace death recklessly. The war was over; the only problem was that no one could call it off." (Page 225) )
For anyone who lives and dies by the sword, the hardest act is to finally lay down that sword. I believe this was the struggle the Provos faced. To such people, compromise comes hard and the admission that the time for compromise (a revolutionary's admission of defeat) is at hand must be extraordinarily difficult. For the defeat of a populist revolution is not only a military defeat, but also calls into question the entire ideological foundation for the movement itself. Some may have seen the recent peace of Northern Ireland as a victory for the IRA. From the perspective of Eamon Collins it was a stunning defeat for the Provos. The peace, as he viewed it, was reached as a result of Gerry Adams moving Sinn Fein away from violent nationalism to peaceful parliamentarianism. It was helped along by the apparent repudiation of the IRA's violence by the voting public. And it was made real by the recognition the war was, in fact, over, and the Provos had lost.
Ironically, it was shortly after his conscious breaking with the IRA that Collins was arrested for his suspected involvement in the bombing of a Newry police station, which killed 9 police officers. His subsequent interrogation and confession (later retracted), imprisonment, trial, acquittal, and abandonment by the IRA left Eamon Collins adrift in the never-never land between two violent antagonists, trusted by none, hated by all.
After his release from prison, Collins barely survived the explosion of a bomb planted in his car. Although the IRA never claimed responsibility for the attack, the man who planted the explosive was known to Collins. He had recruited the man.
The IRA forced him into exile in July 1987, taking him away from his wife and children. Nevertheless, Collins turned to more peaceful pursuits, working through the Church with troubled youths in several cities in Northern Ireland while pursuing his education. As part of a research project, he sought out one of Republicanism's most hated enemies, Gusty Spence of the Ulster Volunteer Force.
"I felt an overpowering sense of nausea. For an instant I could only see before me a deadly enemy of my people. Suddenly, I was filled with a killing rage, all the old anger coming back. I felt I ought to have been moving towards him holding a revolver, firing bullet after bullet into his body, instead of standing there waiting to be ushered into his presence. But the feeling passed and my rage subsided. I knew that murder was the logical outcome of that rage, and murder would not solve anything. In that moment, I realized how far I had traveled in my life. At times, he spoke with violence and aggression; and I could detect that same rage that had just overtaken me. I realized that he had not moved that far forward in his thinking since 1966, but he had moved, and I had moved, and that was important." (Pages 368-369)
Herein lies the essential ingredient for the end of a civil conflict: Two influential people willing to move away from anger and violence. The future of Northern Ireland hangs on the willingness of such people to put the past permanently behind and concentrate on the future. The last sentence of the book expresses the wish of Eamon Collins:
"The anger and hatred this place has seen may in time be forgotten, if not forgiven. I do not want much else more." (Page 371)
Tragically, this shift in the direction of his life did not protect the former IRA Man. Eamon Collins was found murdered near his home on the early morning of January 28, 1999. Although it is widely understood that this was the act of the IRA, the murder remains officially unsolved to this day. Only time will tell if his sacrifice was made in vain.
Killing Rage
By Eamon Collins
1999 by Granta Books, New York, NY
ISBN 1-86207-047-4
Shows the inner-workings of one of the world's most violent and efficient killing machines.......2006-06-22
This is a very good and thought provoking book, which shows to some degree, the inner workings of what is arguably the most ruthless, violent, and skilled Paramilitary/Terrorist organization's in the world.
The book is written by a former member of the IRA's elite "Internal Securities Division", which was responsible for the assassination of 70% of British Army, MI6/MI5 and Police informers, within the IRA's ranks, over the past 30 years.
The book shows hoe IRA operations were planned with military precision, and executed with utter ruthlessness. It shows the shadow war between British intelligence and the IRA's "counter-intelligence' units, and how both were evenly matched. It shows the ruthless assassination program which the IRA used to devastate UDA and UVF units throughout the 80's and 90's, and it shows hoe the IRA was able to employ both extreme violence, and political savy, to force the British government to negotiate with a hated enemy. But what the book is really about, is the enormous mental and physical toll this life of violence and dnager had on the author. In fact, shrotly after writing this book, the author Eamon Collins was abducted, tortured and murdered by vengeful IRA colleagues, who believed this book exposed to many IRA secrets. It is a sad ending for a man who was trying to atone for his past, by helping others undertand how pointless violence can be.
Frank account of an ordinary man's conversion to terrorist and back.......2006-05-25
This is a well written and dispassionate account of Collins' growing up in a moderate Irish Nationalist family and his reaction to the injustices he saw all around. He portrays the hypocrisy of the IRA and well as UK/NI forces and outlines his regret at his actions.
A sad Irish story.......2005-11-09
Killing Rage is a personal look into the methods and motivations of an IRA soldier during the height of the modern conflict in Northern Ireland. Eamon Collins at times shows excitement, satisfaction, and cold, heartless devotion to the cause of killing his enemy. But he also shows remorse, especially towards the end of the book. The story reveals how internal conflict within the units can be as much a detriment as the actual enemy. The book is an easy read, and is a unique look inside the modern IRA during its most active period. See also: Belfast Diary. Highly reccomended.
KILLING RAGE.......2005-10-18
KILLING RAGE, by Eamon Collins quickly becomes one of those rare books you can't put down! No matter how slowly you may read, you won't quit until the last page is turned.
Collins takes the reader far away from the safety of home hearth, and drops him/her into the vicious jaws of the IRA and then, deeper into the dark abyss of his own tortured guilt-ridden soul.
Throughout the book, the author insistently tries to convince himself (and the reader), that the decisions he chose to make were correct. Despite his confessed acts of criminality, conspiracy to murder, terrorism, and deceit, he makes a good and..."Almost" convincing defense for his actions and misguided devotions.
Collins gives the reader the most unique and realistic peek into the political and religious imbroglios of Ireland, than any other author I have ever read. His writing and descriptions of events will chill your blood and raise the hair on your neck more than any Banshee ever could!
A superb book...a gargantuan human tragedy!
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Killing Rage
Eamon Collins
Manufacturer: Granta Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K6KV9O |
Book Description
This thoughtful book explores much of the background to the strife the globe faces today. In particular, Christopher Catherwood shows how religion and national pride, which are supposed to be positive forces, can become perverted ideologies that arouse hatred, slaughter, and war. Visit our website for sample chapters!
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Killing Rage: Ending Racism. (book reviews): An article from: Journal of Leisure Research
Manufacturer: National Recreation and Park Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B00096Q6JY
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Leisure Research, published by National Recreation and Park Association on September 22, 1996. The length of the article is 2578 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Killing Rage: Ending Racism. (book reviews)
Publication:
Journal of Leisure Research (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1996
Publisher: National Recreation and Park Association
Volume: v28
Issue: n4
Page: p316(6)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Black Collegian, published by iMinorities, Inc. on February 1, 1996. The length of the article is 481 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Killing Rage: Ending Racism. (book reviews)
Author: Mamie Webb Hixon
Publication:
The Black Collegian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 1996
Publisher: iMinorities, Inc.
Volume: v26
Issue: n2
Page: p11(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Killing Rage
Earnon Collins
Manufacturer: GRANTA BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJJ5WQ |
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Killing Rage
bell hooks
Manufacturer: Owl Books / Holt, 1995
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Hooks, Bell
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ASIN: B000MRVSDO |
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