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“The best introduction to Dorothy Day and the spirit of the Catholic Worker.”—Jeff Dietrich, The Catholic Agitator
“Jim Forest’s book about Dorothy Day is much like the grand lady herself: disarming in simplicity of approach and statement, but awesome in cumulative effect.”—John Deedy, Commonweal
Dorothy Day (1897-1980), founder of the Catholic Worker movement, and one of the most prophetic voices in the American Catholic Church, has recently been proposed as a candidate for canonization. In this lavishly illustrated biography, Jim Forest provides a compelling portrait of her heroic efforts to live out the radical message of the Gospel for our time.
A journalist and social reformer in her youth, Day surprised her friends with the decision in 1927 to enter the Roman Catholic Church. In the Catholic Worker, which she launched in 1933, she found a way to combine her faith with her compelling commitment to the poor and social justice.
Day and those who joined her devoted themselves to the Works of Mercy while struggling to create a new society “”where it is easier to be good.”” An ardent pacifist, Day was frequently arrested for her protests in the cause of peace and for the rights of workers.
Drawing on Days recently published diaries and letters, Forest chronicles her extraordinary journey, with special stress on the unique spiritual vision that underlay her dramatic witness.
Jim Forest, who lives in The Netherlands, is secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. A lifelong peacemaker, he is the author of many books, including Praying with Icons (Orbis, 2008), The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life (Orbis, 2007), and Living with Wisdom: A Life of Thomas Merton (Orbis, 2008).
