Interview with Marc Mc Menamin, author of Codebreaker
I'm delighted that Marc Mc Menamin, author of one of my favourite books of the year Codebreaker, was very kind to talk to me about smart thinking books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Marc's fascinating book Codebreaker:
A fascinating account of the work of Richard Hayes and G2 Irish Army Intelligence during World War II, as well as the numerous, and sometimes hilarious, attempts by the Abwehr and the Nazis at infiltrating Ireland using undercover spies. While the book is titled towards the story of Ireland's code breaker, it is much more than that and gives a wide overview of the activities of German spies in Ireland in collaboration with republicans, Richard Hayes' and the Irish Authorities' attempts at detecting, capturing and interrogating them, and how this all affected the delicate balance of Irish neutrality during The Emergency.
(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Codebreaker - The untold story of Richard Hayes, the Dublin librarian who helped turn the tide of WWII
Buy On:
Book Depository €12.31
Waterstones £14.99
Amazon UK £7.47
Amazon US $9.99
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
My favourite smart thinking book changes from time to time. Recently I've been reading a lot of non-fiction and I suppose given my own publishing background it's where my interest lies at present. Recently I've been reading Diarmuid Ferriter's The Border. I grew up in Donegal so I can relate to a lot of the history. I've also really enjoyed reading Rod Kedward's La Vie en Bleu which is a history of France in the 20th Century. I studied French History in University so the interest has always been there. The French Resistance facinates me and De Gaulle and Jean Moulin are historical heroes of mine.
The Border: The Legacy of a Century of Anglo-Irish Politics
Review From Book Depository: From the 1920 Government of Ireland Act that created the border, the Treaty and its aftermath, through the Civil Rights Movement, Thatcher, the Troubles and the Good Friday Agreement up to the Brexit negotiations, Ferriter reveals the political, economic, social and cultural consequences of the border in Ireland. With the fate of the border uncertain, The Border is a timely intervention by a renowned historian into one of the most contentious and misunderstood political issues of our time.
Buy On:
Book Depository €7.59 Waterstones £6.99 Amazon UK £12.99 Amazon US $19.18(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
La Vie en Bleu: France and the French Since 1900
Review From Waterstones: Rod Kedward brings to life the great, and often terrible, dramas of modern France - the two cataclysmic wars, the Algerian disaster, the student and worker revolt of 1968 - but also explores the special worlds of the workplace, immigration, minorities, the role of women, and the politics of everyday life and collective memory. La Vie en Bleu is a history of people and events that tells a multitude of stories, some impressive, some shameful and many that starkly divide the French among themselves.
Buy On:
Waterstones £17.99 Amazon UK £17.99 Amazon US $101.79(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
I've recently become obssesed with cop books and I've read a lot of James Daley's work. He was a former NYPD Assistant Comissioner in the 70's and 80's in New York, which were very tumultuous times. I'm currently reading Target Blue which is an account of his year as Assistant Commissioner. It really blurs the lines between good and evil and is very relevant in the current political climate as a lesson of sorts into corruption and virtue. It's heavy going in parts, I'd probably give it 3/5.
Target Blue : An Insider's View Of The N.Y.P.D.
Review From Amazon.com: It was a year of trauma, possibly the most traumatic in NYPD history. The so-called Black Liberation Army laid ambushes and shot cops in the back. In New York alone they assassinated four, machine gunned two others, assaulted others with guns and knives. A new commissioner, swearing to end corruption and bring the force into the modern age, took over, even as two mafia dons got whacked, the biggest jewel robbery in the city's history took place, and Sgt Durk and Patrolman Serpico brought on the Knapp Commission, which began to put cops in jail. Meanwhile, in the corridors of headquarters men with stars on their shoulders undermined the new commissioner where they could while jostling constantly for position and power.
Buy On:
Amazon UK £17.18 Amazon US $9.74(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
My favourite childhood book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. An older cousin Jonathan is a noted film-maker and he and my other cousin Catherine bought me books at Christmas time as a child. I've a very early memory of receiving Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a present from them and it really sparked my interest in reading. I still have the copy on my bookshelf at home. It's got Christmas 1990 written inside it.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Review From Book Depository: Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
Buy On:
Book Depository €5.94 Waterstones £6.99 Amazon UK £3.49 Amazon US $6.99(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
If I were being honest I'm not a huge fan of technology. Maybe its the Donegal in me. Ha! I prefer paper books all the way. If I ended up a castaway on a Desert Island I'd have all the paper books in the world to keep me company once the battery went on whatever device I'd have. So for me its paper all the way. Having said that I'm a huge fan of podcasts particularly RTÉ's Documentary On One.
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
My favourite bookshop is a Novel Idea in Ballyshannon Co. Donegal where I grew up. I remember cycling 2 miles on my bike into town to buy Nick Hornby's High Fidelity there when I was doing my Leaving Cert. Ballyshannon is very close to my heart and Novel Idea opened a world of books to me at a very young age. Seeing Codebreaker in the Shop window for the first time last year was one of the proudest days I've ever had.
High Fidelity
Review From Book Depository: A million-copy bestseller, and adapted into a 2000 film starring John Cusack, High Fidelity explores the world of break-ups, make-ups and what it is to be in love. This astutely observed and wickedly funny book will be enjoyed by readers of David Nicholls and William Boyd, and by generations of readers to come.
Buy On:
Book Depository €8.63 Waterstones £6.99 Amazon UK £3.99 Amazon US $7.99(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Huge thanks to Marc for taking the time to do a great interview, and for including so many book recommendations! Please don't forget to check out his great book Codebreaker.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: Gill (Codebreaker), Profile Books Ltd (The Border), Penguin Books Ltd (La Vie En Bleu, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, High Fidelity), Delacorte Press (Target Blue)
< Home
