Stevenson does an outstanding job providing a backdrop to the current political and social culture of Ireland for the American reader. He describes Ireland's troubled history siting specific watershed events, rhetoric form all sides as well as the major laws that created the political climate the troubles stemmed from. This book is a quality read for anyone interested in understanding why Ireland is divided, and a must read for all Irish Americans.

This book is fantastic. Stevenson's understanding of Irish politics makes this book an invaluable addition to the scholar's bookshelf while keeping it accessible to readers who may be unfamiliar with the intricacies of Irish history.

The heart of Mr Stevenson's book is the personal history, much of it told in their own words, of thirty-one Northern Ireland terrorists and ex-terrorists--fourteen republican, seventeen loyalist. Along the way Mr Stevenson fills in all the necessary details of recent history, and a good deal of more general historical and social matter. Mr Stevenson is an American who lived in Belfast 1993-1996. He has written a very good, very worthy book.

The first thing I want to know about a book on the Irish "Troubles" is: does the author make excuses for terrorism? Nobody who has seen terrorism at close hand can believe that it is a proper method in the pursuit of any goal, nor that unrepentant terrorists are fit people to govern any polity. In this respect Mr Stevenson is clean, his moral sense absolutely sound--an unusual thing among American writers on Ireland. While offering full coverage of the frequent nastiness and illegality of the British state's counter-terrorist actions, and of the cruel viciousness of "loyalist" terrorism, he knows--and shows--Sinn Fein/IRA for what it is: the last (it was also one of the first) of the European fascist parties. No matter who you are--Irish, British, republican, loyalist, Protestant, Catholic--if you disagree with Sinn Fein, they do not disagree politely back (except, of course, on American TV): they break your legs. Then they go and break your mother's legs. That is the reality behind Gerry Adams' unctuous smile. "Ah, but they're only trying to get back their lost land," murmur the apologists. This is like saying that Al Capone was only trying to make a living--an equally true statement. It's a question of METHOD.

Here are the actual trouble-makers of the Troubles. The broad picture Mr Stevenson assembles from his portraits is familiar to anyone who has followed the course of events; but it is told with an admirable objectivity and an appealing undercurrent of optimism--not only optimism for this poor tortured piece of land, but for the possibilities of individual human redemption. In spite of the occasional atrocities of 1996-7, Mr Stevenson believes that the real violence is over, and that the hard men of both sides are struggling to adapt to constitutional methods. I hope he is right

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a very special book. It is about a doctor, named Jekyll. He is known as a gentleman who works quietly in his lab. What no one knows is that Dr. Jekyll has invented a sort of medicine that changes your whole body. When the medicine is taken, your personality becomes evil and your body turns into an ugly hairy man. When Dr. Jekyll drinks the medicine he, turns into Mr. Hyde. Hyde does everything that Jekyll has ever dreamed of but hasn't had a chance to do. Suddenly things go too far. Hyde murders an old man and there is a witness at the place of the death. Now, the police want Hyde and Dr. Jekyll decides that he shall continue being Jekyll and only Jekyll. But can he really keep away? It is so tempting to live the life of Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the best books I have read. Even though it has a very dull setting, it is amazingly exciting. You always want to know what happens next. The changing between Jekyll and Hyde is made in a very good way, when the main character is Hyde, he always lives in danger, but when he's Jekyll he can live a perfectly normal life. One of the main points in the story is that you shouldn't use drugs to achieve things that you have always dreamed of, because you can really reach them by yourself. This theme really had an impact on me and got me thinking. Almost anyone can read this book because it is a classic and has been published in so many different versions. I would recommend it to almost anyone.

Sometimes the man who does it first does it best, and in Stevenson's case I think that's true. Anyone who's ever known or been an addict will find The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde terrifyingly familiar. Stephen King called this the archetypal werewolf novel, but that description only scratches the surface. Read this book. Then look closely in the mirror, if you dare.

"I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been lead to this dreadful shipwreck: that a man is not truly one, but truly two." This book travels deep into the heart and soul of one man named Dr. Jekyll. The book will give you a full sense of personality. It not only helps you understand the characters, but it also helps you see which side, your good or your evil, is more developed. The ending will send chills up your spine. Dr. Jekyll is the basic good in the story. He has devoted his life to scientific studies and helping people. The basic villian is Edward Hyde. He is every Evil in existence put into one person. Although Dr. Jekyll is good, his curiousity drove him to unimaginable evil. He decided to explore the evil in himself. He made a potion and drank it. He changed into the horrible Edward Hyde. So you see that what separates this book from the ordinary category, is that the good and the evil exist in one.

I am an avid reader of Vietnam War history and was very disappointed in this book. I thought it was about men who stayed behind during the war and it isnt. It is about a few folks who went back after coming home. It is interesting at times and one or two of the characters are worth the read but overall found it to be misleading and uninteresting at best. Only if youre a serious reader of history does this make it interesting.