Possibly the best book I have read all year! , It is the little known story of Roger Casement’s activities as a champion for human rights in the Congo and later in Peru. His reporting on the atrocities and the suffering he endured in bringing them to public attention earned him his knighthood. In the book, he is in Pentonville Prison awaiting sentencing and it tells how his consular work on behalf of “The Empire” eventually convinces him of the criminality of colonialism. From this realisation he is consumed by the injustices perpetrated by the British in Ireland and how he tries to embrace his celtic origins .
The story of this virtually unsung hero of 1916 is told so poignantly it would make a great book club read; it covers so many controversial topics and taboos at the time that it created as big an impact as Oscar Wilde’s earlier trial.
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You can reserve a copy online at South Dublin Libraries’ catalogue here.
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