The Other Belfast

Name: The Other Belfast
Price: £15.95 GBP
Author: John Sidney Rickerby with Mark Rickerb
ISBN: 9781456836634

An Irish Youth

by John Sidney Rickerby with Mark Rickerb

Formats

Softcover

£15.95

Softcover

£15.95

Book Details

Language : English

Publication Date : 16/12/2010

Format : Softcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 373

ISBN : 9781456836634

About the Book

The Other Belfast is the story of a boy’s life between 1933 and 1953 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before “the troubles” officially began and Belfast became known internationally as a terrorism hot spot. It is the story of a child’s struggle to bond with a distant father, to survive the schoolyards and streets where boys emulated “hard men” role models, to understand the divisions between the Irish people, and to simply be a child in a rough and tumble world. From the sublime joys of love and friendship to the terror of nighttime bombing raids by the German Luftwaffe during World War II, The Other Belfast is a journey of the spirit into a long-forgotten world as seen through the eyes of an adventurous and irrepressibly joyful child.

About the Author

After leaving Ireland in 1957 for Canada and later America, the author founded the John S. Rickerby Company, a business which is still thriving today. He has been interviewed on television and radio and contributed numerous articles to the Los Angeles Times, the Belfast Telegraph and other publications about the Irish situation, the most well-known being “Who Killed Little Michelle?” However, his main claim to fame in the Southern California Irish community is his singing voice, and he can still be found belting out standards and the old Irish tunes in pubs around town. Mark Rickerby (the author’s son) is a freelance writer whose works have appeared in numerous publications, including three Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Customer Reviews

" Reading this book was a lot like having a distant relative or an older neighbor come over for coffee and a (sometimes frank and salty) chat. This is a slice of life sort of book that I savored. Instead of picking this book up and plunging straight on to the end, I found myself wanting to sample it, bit by bit. Rickerby's tales remind me of listening to my uncles chatting with my parents over card games and cocktails in our backyard. Sleeping in a bunk bed, I would crack open the bedroom window and fall asleep listening to their tales - some were rather 'tall', others were brutish while the most interesting of all were about long ago romances. Rickerby's stories are much the same, recounting a lifetime of experiences and adventures and characters in a way that made me want to lean in to hear more. I was particularly interested because my mother's family is from Ireland, but unlike my father's Italian relatives, I know next to nothing about the Irish side. For me, this was a vicarious romp through an Irish individual's life - warts and all. I particularly appreciate Rickerby's self-reflection. You will feel like you know this man, or you are this man, or at the very least that you would like to share a pint with this man. Pick this book up and give it a read, I think you will be pleased. What is better, after all, than a warm cuppa and an engaging read? "

Bernice Foster
"I was enthralled throughout. Full of hilarious stories, and some heartbreaking ones. Professionally written, thoroughly satisfying reading, and a rare glimpse into a place and time that will never return."

Ed Williamson
"Reading this book was a lot like having a distant relative or an older neighbor come over for coffee and a (sometimes frank and salty) chat. This is a slice of life sort of book that I savored. Instead of picking this book up and plunging straight on to the end, I found myself wanting to sample it, bit by bit. Rickerby's tales remind me of listening to my uncles chatting with my parents over card games and cocktails in our backyard. Sleeping in a bunk bed, I would crack open the bedroom window and fall asleep listening to their tales - some were rather 'tall', others were brutish while the most interesting of all were about long ago romances. Rickerby's stories are much the same, recounting a lifetime of experiences and adventures and characters in a way that made me want to lean in to hear more. I was particularly interested because my mother's family is from Ireland, but unlike my father's Italian relatives, I know next to nothing about the Irish side. For me, this was a vicarious romp through an Irish individual's life - warts and all. I particularly appreciate Rickerby's self-reflection. You will feel like you know this man, or you are this man, or at the very least that you would like to share a pint with this man. Pick this book up and give it a read, I think you will be pleased. What is better, after all, than a warm cuppa and an engaging read?"

Bernice Foster

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