In a momentary lull in the shooting, a front door would tentatively crack open and a Belfast housewife in horn-rimmed glasses would stick her head out to make sure the coast was clear. Then she would emerge, erect in her raincoat, a kerchief over her curlers, and walk primly through the war zone to the shops.
-- Patrick Radden Keefe (Chapter 3: "Evacuation")

Importance: This quote from early on in the book exemplifies the unique nature of Northern Ireland's troubles: the war zone, instead of being distant and involving only soldiers, was right at home and was fought by ordinary people who had once been neighbors. The image of the woman in her kerchief waiting for the cessation of bullet-fire is a powerful one precisely because it illustrates the way in which a war 'at home' can emotionally destroy a population even as that population struggles to maintain the semblance of normalcy in everyday life.

People took to...
-- Patrick Radden Keefe (Chapter 4: "An Underground Army")