The Long Loneliness
Posted by mlh30504 on September 15, 2009
I first heard about Dorothy Day when I added a book to my Wishlist on Amazon. Her works came up in one of those “Other people who bought this were also interested in …” lists. I did some research and learned that she was a Catholic social activist during some of the most difficult times in US history, including the Depression and the World Wars. Her story is an amazing one in which a young woman who came from some priviledge turns away from it all and voluntarily takes on a life of poverty. The Long Loneliness is her autobiography but I have to admit it isn’t much of a read. I enjoyed the first half that talks about her life as a social activist before she becomes a Catholic and her gradual conversion. Having been brought up Catholic, I related to a lot of her experiences in the church. But the second half of the book is hard to get through. She writes the first half in more of a spiritual awakening. The second half … is a factual list of things that happened in her life as part of the founding writers of The Catholic Worker. For a historical perspective, it’s worth the read but other than that I can’t recommend it very much.
Book Rating: * *
