Blackstaff Press

More Real Stories from the RUC Men and Women who Policed the Troubles Colin Breen

$14.95 • Paperback • 208 pages • 5.3x8.5 January 2022 • HIS054000 978-1-78-073331-9

In this final part to his bestselling A Force Like No Other series, Colin Breen brings together more compelling insider stories from RUC officers who served during the Troubles. "A most powerful and unique insight into the world’s most dangerous job in policing in the 1970s and '80s." — Henry McDonald, Observer and Guardian "This book of real RUC insider anecdotes…has, of course, the best possible sources – the cops themselves." — Hugh Jordan, Sunday World "A Force Like No Other recalls the horrors of the Troubles but also some of the funnier stories of everyday life as a cop." — Stephen Gordon, Sunday Life

Strange Stories from Northern Ireland Reggie Chamberlain-King

$22.95 • Hardback • 256 pages 5.3x7.6 • December 2021 • FIC003000 978-1-78-073328-9

"My brother said that he needed to dampen down the colours in his flat. There was too much colour in there. There was too much confusion. The colours were clashing. They were humming. First he did the walls, and then he did the skirting boards, and the ceiling. And then the doors. Carefully, methodically, over the course of a couple of weeks, he stripped them, primed them and painted them. He painted them all – carefully, methodically. He painted them black." ?— Ian Sansom, ‘The Black’ This anthology of specially commissioned short stories explores the weird, surreal, and dream-like, a world that is off-kilter. Bringing together some of the best of Northern Ireland’s literary talents along with new and exciting voices, this compelling collection is dark, funny, and unsettling. Contributors: Jo Baker, Jan Carson, Reggie Chamberlain-King, Ailsinn Clarke, Emma Devlin, Moyra Donaldson, Michelle Gallen, Carlo Gebler, John Patrick Higgins, Ian McDonald, Gerard McKeown, Bernie McGill, Ian Sansom, and Sam Thompson.

My Life Working for Women's Rights, Peace and Equality in Northern Ireland and Beyond Monica McWilliams

$29.95 • Hardback • 368 pages 6.1x9.2 • December 2021 • BIO026000 978-1-78-073322-7

By the age of ten, Monica McWilliams was dispensing payouts in her granny’s post office, book-keeping for her cattle-dealer father and leaving no one in any doubt that she could stand up for herself. She went on to break the mold in so many ways, as a woman, as an activist, and as a politician. In this frank and fascinating memoir, she tells her extraordinary story for first time. A Derry Catholic, she participated in the civil rights protests of the 1960s. She was 15 when attended her first NICRA meeting in ’69. Her ground-breaking work on domestic violence and the training she delivered to police officers and the Public Prosecution Service. Her pivotal role in the women's movement in Northern Ireland. Her co-founding of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition and her participation in the peace talks that led to the signing of The Good Friday Agreement. The deep misogyny and discrimination that she and the Coalition were subjected to during their time in politics and how they stood up to that. Her 5 years as a serving politician in the NI Assembly. Her work with victims as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and her global work in human rights and peace-building.

A Second Volume of the Bestselling Book, Featuring New Contributions from Over Sixty High-profile Journalists Deric Henderson Ivan Little

$22.95 • Paperback • 256 pages • 6.1x9.2 • July 2022 • HIS054000 978-1-78-073325-8

Following the success of the acclaimed Reporting the Troubles (2018), this book brings together new contributions from over sixty journalists – including Sir Trevor McDonald, Gavin Esler, John Ware, Colin Bateman, Charlie Bird, Lindy McDowell, Allison Morris, Mark McFadden, and Gerry Kelly – writing about the events and people they could never forget from their time reporting in Northern Ireland.