THE RIVER HEALER by Paddy Reid

The first of two great new books coming from Liberties Press this autumn is THE RIVER HEALER by Paddy Reid.

Paddy is a fine writer, currently living in Fairview, Dublin, who deserves to be better known. He has had numerous short stories published in literary magazines, and has won a variety of awards, mainly in the United States, where he lived throughout the 1980s and 1990s. THE RIVER HEALER is a memoir, in the form of a collection of (non-fiction) short stories, based on the time he spent in the US – mainly in the Deep South, working with very poor (mainly black) communities – as a handyman, outreach worker and prison visitor, among other things.

The stories are by turns hair-raising (a night-time river trip hunting alligators), deeply moving (why people end up on the wrong side of the law) and enlightening (the title story tells of a healing ceremony which a family, without access to modern medicine, counts on to make their ill child better). Taken as a whole, the book is a remarkable record of a particular time in American history – though perhaps not so much has changed since those times.

One of the reasons the book is unusual is that it features 30 black-and-white photographs by the late US photographer Al Clayton. I believe it is the first time most of these photographs have appeared in print. The photographs are mainly portraits of people living out their daily lives in the Deep South – people who wouldn’t normally make it into print. We’re very grateful to the Al Clayton Estate for granting permission for us to use them.

Paddy was featured in various international media back in 2012 and 2013 when he campaigned on behalf of the approximately 5000 Irish soldiers who served in the British armed forces in the Second World War – and, on their return to Ireland, were blocked from government employment, and in many cases saw their children (including Paddy) singled out for special (adverse) treatment. Following the campaign, these men were given a full pardon in May 2013 by then Justice Minister Alan Shatter.

Hopefully you’ll be hearing plenty more about the book in due course. In the meantime, here’s the cover, and a link where you can find out more – and preorder a copy, if you feel so inclined. I have a feeling the first edition won’t be around for very long!

THE RIVER HEALER by Paddy Reid