Belfast: Both Sides Now [Paperback] Meulemans, Bill

"Belfast: Both Sides Now," by Bill Meulemans, tells the story of the Northern Ireland conflict through the eyes of both communities. Each side has an equal voice inside one book. The author writes in a journalistic style. He went out on the street to find out why the conflict started and why it will not end soon. When these warring groups are dissected, it becomes clear that they are driven by an ancient dispute that feeds on itself. Meulemans lived and worked among the working-class people of Belfast for 11 years while he was on the politics faculty of The Queen's University of Belfast. The book is for the reader who does not have an extensive background on the subject. It is 400 pages and is available on Amazon.

Bill Meulemans is a product of the University of Wisconsin and the University of Idaho. He holds a B.S., M.A., and a Ph.D. in political science, and has been a professor at Portland State University, The Queen's University of Belfast, and Southern Oregon University. His areas of concentration are Irish politics, political violence and community organizing. There is a pragmatic quality about his work, especially as it relates to political violence. He maintains that "once we label someone a 'terrorist' there is no effort to understand why they have resorted to violence." In his experience, nearly all the former northern Irish paramilitaries are "normal people born into very unusual circumstances." This is the context of his newest book, "Belfast: Both Sides Now" that is available on Amazon.