An intelligent and emotive inside account of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign, which records the personal stories of the campaigners, the relatives and the wounded themselves right up to the Saville Report’s publication in June 2010. Written by Derry journalist and niece of Jackie Duddy who was killed on that day, with a foreword by political activist Gareth Peirce, Setting the Truth Free is published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Bloody Sunday on Monday 30 January, 2012.
‘Setting the Truth Free is a wonderful book because it documents eloquently events that go to the heart of the struggle for justice and freedom…the inspiration is universal’
JOHN PILGER
About the Book: On 30th January 1972 thirteen people were shot dead and a further fourteen wounded, one of whom died later, by British paratroopers during a peaceful civil rights march in Derry. In June 2010, thirty-eight years later, Lord Saville’s report made headlines all over the world, and the people of Derry were brought to a stunned silence as British Prime Minister David Cameron apologised on behalf of his government and his country for the ‘unjustified’ and ‘unjustifiable’ acts of Bloody Sunday.Setting The Truth Free is the first ever account of the remarkable Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign as told by the campaigners, relatives and the wounded themselves. Many books have been written on the subject but few mention in significant detail how these ordinary people achieved the impossible and unwittingly made history. Determined to clear their loved ones’ names, this group took on the might of the British government, and won. Each major turning point during the campaign is described and accompanied by family testimonies.
About the Author: Julieann Campbell is ideally placed to write Setting The Truth Free. She is a journalist in Derry, a member of the Bloody Sunday Trust and was the Press Officer for the Bloody Sunday families in the lead up to the publication of the Saville Report. She is also the niece of Jackie Duddy who was one of those killed on that tragic day. Her first non-fiction book, Julieann has previously co-edited an anthology Harrowing of the Heart: The Poetry of Bloody Sunday and contributed to City of Music: Derry’s Musical Heritage.
ISBN: 978-1-907593-37-6
Product Reviews
Christy Moore
February 20, 2012, 16:20 pm
Through the portrayal of the families’ "selfless, courageous, persistent campaigning", Julieann Campbell "has set the truth free".
Andrew Lynch, The Sunday Business Post
February 20, 2012, 16:17 pm
"Campbell's book...is best read as a heartfelt tribute to the bereaved, filled with poignant details such as the uneaten Mars bar that Kathleen Kelly kept all her life in memory of her son Michael, 17. The ghosts of Bloody Sunday will never be fully at rest. Thanks to books such as these, they can at least sleep a little more peacefully."
Maurice Hayes, Irish Independent
February 20, 2012, 16:16 pm
"Campbell has produced a remarkably moving account of events as they unfold, all the more valuable because it brings on to the stage those wounded on the day, who tend to have been excluded from the general narrative, and the families who have suffered so much...it is important as social history, a study of the destructive impact of violent events on families and communities, of the dynamics of a voluntary organisation and as a handbook for lobbyists."
