The Truth About St Kilda

Providing a unique record of St Kilda—a remote chain of islands near Scotland that was home to an isolated community—this fascinating documentation provides a first-hand account their existence in the early 1900’s before all remaining residents were forcibly evacuated in 1930. Examining the resident’s lifestyle, including their diet, economy, and social structure, this intimate account reveals how the their practice of a puritanical form of religion was commonly perceived by outsiders as being austere and draconian, but is clearly reflected upon as being a source of spiritual stamina for the residents. Faithfully based on seven handwritten notebooks containing reminiscences of Gillie’s childhood on the island of Hirta, this part-memoir, part historical artifact is a lasting tribute to the adaptability and courage of a small, Gaelic-speaking society that endured through two millennia on a remote cluster of islands, until their way of life could not longer be sustained.