We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland

"This is an enthralling, panoramic book, a personal history of six decades of Irish life, from one of the foremost chroniclers of contemporary Ireland. With his customary deep erudition and sly wit, O'Toole weaves together an astonishing array of material, from political history to economic analysis to literature, the theatre, the press, the church, the role of television and pop culture, and Ireland's intense and intimate connection to the United States. Jostling with anecdotes and arresting statistics, We Don't Know Ourselves is a feast: a deeply absorbing chronicle of the "known and unknowable," and of the profound transformation of a place." -Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times best-selling author of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland "Sweeping, authoritative and profoundly intelligent." -Colm Tóibín, The Guardian "A clear-eyed, myth-dispelling masterpiece. Engaging, analytical, insightful, fascinating, this is a hugely important book." -Marian Keyes, international best-selling novelist "A remarkably original, fluent and absorbing book, with the pace and twists of an enthralling novel and the edge of a fine sword, underpinned by a profound humaneness." -Diarmaid Ferriter, The Irish Times