One Belfast Boy Book

Eleven-year-old Liam Leathem lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He happens to be Catholic, but his story might be the same no matter what his religion. He has never known a Protestant person in all his life. In Northern Ireland the Protestant and Catholic children live on separate sides of the "peace walls" - high walls dividing neighborhoods, built to help keep the peace. Liam's greatest joy in life is boxing. He spends nearly all his free time at the Holy Trinity Boxing Club, where he trains with his coaches and other young boxers. Despite the presence of tension and conflict around him, the sound of military helicopters whirring overhead, and the sight of soldiers in the street, Liam tries to live his life without being drawn into the conflict. In both pictures and words, McMahon and O'Connor have captured the innocence of a childhood lived in the shadow of a violence handed down for generations.Read More