Rebels: The Irish Rising of 1916

De Rosa's "Rebels" is simply one of the best historical books I have ever read, period. Some have criticised it for adopting a novelized approach, with plenty of dialogue, but as popular history, the result is a suspenseful buildup to the Great Easter Rising of 1916, and its brutal extermination by the British Army.The success of the book is the care that De Rosa takes to develop his characters, including the ill-fated Casement, the rabble-rousing socialist Connelly, schoolmaster Patrick Pearse, Tom Clarke, and the dozen or so key leaders of the uprising. Most were executed within days of the suppression to the outcry of liberal MPs in London, and became martyrs to Irish freedom. Someone seriously needs to turn this book into a screenplay, which would be a far more dramatic tale than "Michael Collins", particularly since the politics of the April 24 rebellion were far less complex than the civil war that is hopelessly glossed over in "Collins" The wedding of one of the uprising's leaders in his cell before his execution was heartbreaking even in print.The book is a great read even without a background in Irish history.

Although many would criticize this "history" for it's fictionalized conversations and encounters, Peter de Rosa sets forth a fairly accurate and moving account of the events of Easter Week 1916. DeRosa uses the fictionalized conversations to bring alive the characters involved in the events, and does an admirable job in capturing their personalities. This is a remarkably accessible account which will be a good introduction to those new to Irish history. The reader will be spell bound by many of the accounts such as Cathal Brugha's one-man stand against a batallion of British soldiers, and the heart-wrenching final account of the hours leading up to James Connolly's execution having to be tied to a chair due to the severity of his wounds. Pick up this book, you may not be able to put it down.

I have never read a history book that was more moving or more realistic (and I was a history major.) Afterwards I traveled to Dublin just to see Kilmainham Gaol. The book was so realistic that the Gaol was horribly familiar to me. Buy the book and read it. You'd be hard pressed to find a better book. Better yet, buy a dozen copies and give them out to your friends.

De Rosa tells the actual story of the Rising. The actual historical figures (Pearse, Connolly, the Countess. etc.) are the characters and the story is the true events of that glorious week, not fictional melodramas with the Rising as a background (like Redemption). It is at times intriguing, darkly comedic, and exciting, all culminating in the final chapter, which chronicles the executions of the patriots and left me in tears. This book is a wonderful tribute to those valiant men who went to their death at the firing squads to give Ireland new life

Rebels is a well written, informative account of a defining moment in Ireland's history. I especially enjoyed how De Rosa looked at both the rebel and English leadership conflicts and their tragic consequences. The day by day account of the Easter Rebellion in progress moved at a good pace, giving the reader a sense of urgency, a good overview of all of the main battle locations, and yet provided enough detail for those of us who revel in the minute. An excellent choice for those interested in Ireland, its roots, and tribulations