Since the start of the current troubles, Northern Ireland's children have been the focus of much media attention. Variously portrayed as innocent victims of adult violence or unwitting accomplices in the continuing conflict, they have featured widely in the press and on television. But just how accurate is this popular image of children 'caught in crossfire'? Ed Cairns has gone behind the dramatic, headline snatching consequences of growing up in Northern Ireland to examine the more subtle, long-term effects.

How do children become aware of the violence around them? How do they become involveddirectly or indirectlyin it? How is their moral and political development affected by their situation? And what is it that so effectively ensures the perpetuation of the bitterness and violence between the two sections of the community from generation to generation?

These and other key questions are investigated in this important book. It is essential reading for everyone concerned about children growing up in Northern Ireland.