Children of the Revolution: The lives of sons and daughters of activists in Northern Ireland.

Children of the Revolution by Bill Rolston is one of the most important books on the impact of the Northern Ireland conflict. It contains the stories of twenty people who had a parent politically active during the 1968-98 conflict in Northern Ireland. Most of these were involved in non-state combatant groups. Sons and daughters of republicans and loyalists recount their experiences of childhood and how the activities of their mothers or fathers impacted on their lives. They tell of police and army raids, prison visits, absent or deceased parents, with honesty and emotion. Some reject the parent and the events that led to their own suffering, while others are completely supportive of the parent and his or her politics; many are ambivalent. In the end, some individuals were clearly traumatised by their experience, but all display a remarkable level of resilience in the face of what violent conflict brought their way.