---
product_id: 220231669
title: "Borstal Boy"
brand: "brendan behan"
price: "8.36 OMR"
currency: OMR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/220231669-borstal-boy
store_origin: OM
region: Oman
---

# Borstal Boy

**Brand:** brendan behan
**Price:** 8.36 OMR
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Borstal Boy by brendan behan
- **How much does it cost?** 8.36 OMR with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.om](https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/220231669-borstal-boy)

## Best For

- brendan behan enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted brendan behan brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Borstal Boy

## Images

![Borstal Boy - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41W9Z74PV8L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Iconic borstal book - engaging but a bit repetitive
  

*by B***L on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 May 2021*

I had heard a lot about this book or would say that it is "famous" and therefore I assumed it was a great piece of literature and had always intended to read it at some point, which I've just done. It is indeed a good story and undoubtedly told by a great raconteur and an intelligent character who lives off his wits. The borstal boy's streetwise confidence and vanity is apparent but his ultimate kindness and fairness also shine through. It rambled on a bit though, with plenty of "blarney" and became rather repetitive. Once you've read a good chunk you more or less get the picture. I felt like I wanted to get to the end once I was half way though, although the last few pages as he leaves and then returns home are actually some of the best. Apparently its autobiographical but I suspect only loosely so. I imagine there's an amount of poetic licence and doubt that all the events and dialogue happened exactly as described unless he has a sensational memory. It was first published nearly 20 years after the events.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Pass it on!
  

*by S***B on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2013*

This book was given to me when I was in my early twenties with the proviso that when I'd finished it I must pass it on. The copy was a 60's Pan paperback - its pages were dog-eared, its spine was broken, the body of the text had fallen into three parts (attempts had been made to hold it together with sticky tape). This was a many times read volume.I kept my part of the bargain and passed it on after I had read it. I know that the friend I gave it to also passed it on. How many more people were able to read it before it finally fell to bits I know not.I can't think of a higher reccomendation for a text.However - one word of warning. This is the (true) story of a teenage IRA Volunteer who came to mainland Britain to engineer an atrocity. This might put off certain readers in the United Kingdom and, given the current political climate and fear of international terrorism, elsewhere in the world.Its an important caveat for terrorism is a difficult issue. One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist and all that.Irish politics does not weigh heavily on the text which is really about the struggle for survival and dignity in the face of the adversity of the penal system. Behan's humanity, courage and basic decency shines throughout and makes this an incredibly uplifting read.His mantra when totally up against it - " What can't be cured must be endured" has stayed with me for the last 25 years and served me well.This is an important book. Read it and pass it on!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Realistic depiction...for its time
  

*by A***T on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2014*

I was fortunate to see a dramatised production of "Borstal Boy" at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin in August 1968 and I was enthralled by Behan's raw depiction of a teenage IRA member (himself) held under the British (I must emphasise ENGLISH as I am a Welsh-speaking Cymro sympathetic to the cause of Irish separatism) penal system. The book is a mixture of the naivety of youth,  impressive historic knowledge of Ireland with which Behan was imbued from a young age and is written in a style redolent of autobiographical literature of its age. English people will find its political truths and their nation's refusal to see the Irish Republican viewpoint difficult to grasp, but they might, just might understand some basic truths about the then impending demise of their colonialist exploitative past and the Protestant people of Northern Ireland should try to understand the cruel consequences of the religious bigotry that has plagued the beautiful Emerald Isle.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/220231669-borstal-boy](https://www.desertcart.com.om/products/220231669-borstal-boy)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Oman*
*Store origin: OM*
*Last updated: 2026-02-21*