Kicking and Screaming: Dragging Ireland Into the 21st Century

Starts off, as it sounds, describing Ireland's ongoing and unfinished transition from priest-ridden backwater to modern European state. But after only a couple chapters of this, it moves on to a general overview of Irish social policy. Which is still interesting. Bacik is a lawyer but doesn't really write like one, although the book is heavy on case law. She takes a refreshingly progressive view of even the most contentious issues, such as pornography and prostitution. She's also a Labour Party member/would-be politician and the book is rather shamelessly partisan, highlighting the positive initiatives that party has taken while simply ignoring the others - such as when they abstained from a parliamentary vote on same sex marriage, or when their Dublin mayor facilitated that city's adoption of the household waste charges she opposes. While I was a bit disappointed not to get the book I thought I was reading (the thorough examination of the Church's fortunately waning influence over Irish society), the book that's in it is well-written, informative and useful.