Ireland
44
Dunbar, Robert (ed.)
Skimming : [fiction from
top Irish writers]
Dublin : O'Brien Press, 2001. - 155 p
(Children's fiction)
ISBN 0-86278-660-6
Ireland - Everyday life
»Skimming« is a rich and powerful anthology of short stories written by
some of the most important contemporary Irish authors for children, such as
Siobhán Parkinson, Eoin Colfer, and Mark O'Sullivan. Each of the stories has
its own strong voice and distinct style and touches on a different theme. Topics
range from the amusing attempts of a father to remove a spider from his
daughter's bedroom (making the whole holiday home collapse on his head) to the
moving account of a shy young boy who befriends an old tramp and defends him
when a teenage gang attack the old man. Despite its diversity, however, the
collection forms a cohesive whole by portraying children and teenagers who are
trying to cope with their lives in a sometimes hostile world ruled by adults.
(10+) +
45
O'Loughlin,
Larry
Breaking the silence
Dublin : Wolfhound Press, 2001. - 165 p
(Young adult fiction)
ISBN 0-86327-836-1
Sexual abuse - Friendship - Fear - Feeling of guilt
In this powerful, engaging novel for young adults, the author approaches a
topic that is still considered a taboo: the sexual abuse of boys. At the age of
thirteen, now seventeen-year-old Declan was abused by a group of older boys from
his basketball team. When they also rape his best friend Doc three years later,
who dies shortly afterwards in a car crash, Declan is overwhelmed by feelings of
guilt. The author sympathetically describes the protagonist's desperate attempts
to regain control of his life; he portrays the boy's panic whenever he meets his
tormentors, and makes the readers share his physical and psychological pain.
With the help of two new friends, Declan eventually summons the courage to face
his past. (14+)