David McKittrick writes for the Independent and is a winner of the Orwell Prize for Journalism. In 1999 he was named correspondent of the year by the BBC's What the Papers Say. He has reported on Northern Ireland since 1973.David McVea was, for many years, head of the politics department at a leading Belfast grammar school. He now works for Northern Ireland's examinations board. With David McKittrick he helped to produce the book Lost Lives, which tells the stories of all those who died as a result of the Troubles.

• Part 1 Introduction ixPart 2 THE STATIC SOCIETY 1Chapter 3 1921-63Part 4 THE O'NEILL YEARS 26Chapter 5 1963-69Part 6 DESCENT INTO VIOLENCE 53Chapter 7 1969-71Part 8 THE END OF STORMONT 76Chapter 9 1972-73Part 10 SUNNINGDALE, STRIKE & STALEMATE 98Chapter 11 1974-76Part 12 FROM CASTLEREAGH TO WARRENPOINT 118Chapter 13 1977-79Part 14 THE HUNGERSTRIKES 134Chapter 15 1981-81Part 16 ANGLO-IRISH ACCORD 149Chapter 17 1982-85Part 18 ENNISKILLEN, LIBYA & BOMBS IN ENGLAND 167Chapter 19 1986-93Part 20 PEACE PROCESS 184Chapter 21 1993-94Part 22 DECOMMISSIONING, DOCKLANDS & DRUMCREE 200Chapter 23 1994-96Part 24 BREAKTHROUGH 214Chapter 25 1997-2001Part 26 PERSPECTIVES 230Part 27 CHRONOLOGY 243Part 28 TABLES 325Part 29 GLOSSARY 331Part 30 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 338Part 31 INDEX 340

Buried in the text of most histories you can detect the views of the author. Making Sense of the Troubles, the first attempt to tell the whole story of the past 30 years in Northern Ireland, is an exception.