At one end of the "folk hero" spectrum we might place the titular nun and hero of John Rae's history
"Sister Genevieve: A Courageous Woman's Triumph in Northern Ireland." Beginning in 1956 when she founded Saint Louise's School for Girls in Belfast, Sister Genevieve career becomes a long, hard struggle against the politics, poverty and discrimination that would follow as the Troubles unfolded in the 1960s.
The streets become scenes of violent guerilla warfare, and the children at Saint Louise's are hit hardest. But as Rae makes clear, Sister Genevieve created a support network of teachers, counselors, welfare officers, and psychiatrists who were able to successfully help an entire generation of Belfast youths. And Sister Genevieve herself wasn't fussy when it came to picking enemies: she would defy Protestant extremists as surely as she would do battle with the IRA, British Army, or even the Catholic Church. This is, to say the least, an inspiring story, especially as Northern Ireland continues to totter on the brink of renewed conflict. (284 pages / $24.95 / Warner Books)
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