by Jim Forest (Orbis Books, 2011)
"Dorothy had a special list with the names of people who had committed suicide. I once asked Dorothy, "But isn't it too late?" "With God there is no time," she responded. She went on to say how a lot can happen in a person's thoughts between initiating an action that will result in death and death itself - that even the tiny fraction of a section that passes between pulling a trigger and the bullet striking the brain might, in the infinity of time that exists deep within us, be time enough for regretting what it was now too late to stop, and cry out for God's mercy." ~ Jim Forest, All is Grace (pg. 322)
Dorothy Day was a complex heroine of the 20th century. Living with a sexual past and an abortion she later deeply regretted, she also had "from childhood onward...a marked capacity for awe and a vulnerability to beauty" (15). Her desire for God was mingled with a sometimes chaotic desire for acceptance by others. Her conversion to Roman Catholicism after the birth of her daughter Tamar marked a radical shift in her way of life that would echo in her words and actions, carrying a message of peace, charity, and care for the poor into the next century with astonishing vigor.
Known also as the founder of the Catholic Worker movement, Day's diaries were published a few years ago in The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day (2008). While quite revealing of her inner workings, the diaries can be difficult to follow without the thick context of her daily life and times. Jim Forest weaves that context into a compelling biographical story, incorporating the massive amounts of data found in her journals, letters, interviews, and their own friendship over the years to provide us with a more complete portrait of her in his most recent work.
This book is an excellent read and is recommended for anyone interested in the life or work of Dorothy Day, as well as the areas of pacifism, war, care for the poor, the dignity of human life, and other areas of Catholic social teaching.
C. Pak, Founder
Amicizia Cristiana USA
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