Say Nothing is narrative nonfiction at its finest. This book instantly immerses readers in the conflicts between the Irish Republican Army and a large number of loyalist forces both volunteer and state-sponsored. Despite the conflict frequently being summed up as merely "Protestants vs. Catholics", Say Nothing illustrates the true root cause of conflict: British occupation. Furthermore, Radden Keefe populates his historical vignettes with an abundance of complex and empathetic people -- something that is no easy feat considering that a large portion of featured folks were so-called "terrorists." The most fascinating members of this faction are the duo of Dolours and Marian Price, two sisters whose parents and aunt had also been deeply involved in the Irish Republican fight. Say Nothing follows these two women as they join the IRA at the cusp of adulthood and then become some of its most elite and ruthless members.

Despite closely following the testimony of terrorists, Radden Keefe also follows the ten children of Jean McConville, a woman who was murdered by the IRA in 1972. Their stories and their decades-long search for justice completes the total picture of the Troubles. Violence, disappearances, and death - sometimes motivated solely by paranoia - were rampant throughout the conflict and they had serious ramifications on the physical and mental health of Northern Irish communities.

Having really loved Sarton's Journal of a Solitude, I was ready to love this memoir too. Alas, though. Some of her waxings on acquiring her dream home were sweet and enjoyable, indeed. However, I didn't connect with this book as well as Solitude. Perhaps it is because this is a polished memoir and not a somewhat confessional journal. Sarton definitely keeps readers at a bit more of a remove in Plant Dreaming Deep - to the book's detriment.

This short book was very informative and enlightening. The only reason I've rated it three stars is because it is so dated and lacking in source material. But Witches, Midwives, & Nurses is truly fascinating as a foundational feminist text -- so many modern books that I've liked and that do better expand upon these same ideas couldn't have existed without this book first. Pretty rad.