Dorothy Day: A Biography

by William D. Miller

This deeply moving, provocative, and comprehensive biography chronicles the life and times of Dorothy Day (1897-1980), co-founder of the Catholic Worker and a major figure in twentieth-century American life and religion.

Genres: Biography, History, Catholic, Biography Memoir

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Born in 1917. A native of Jacksonville, Florida. Taught at Memphis State and Marquette universities. Had a masters degree from Duke University and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina. Died in Lloyd, Florida.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I learned from this book is that I need to read more about saints and saintly people because they inspire me to be less of a jackass.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very detailed account of Dorothy Day's life. A bit more detail than I like in a bio, but well written. I thought the author could have made the book move along a bit faster, so I only gave it 4 stars. If you want to know the life of Dorothy Day, this is the book for you. Its also an interesting "time capsule" of sorts, as much of the history and politics of the 1900s is interwoven with Dorothy's story. Dorothy Day's lifespan coincided nearly exactly with my grandmother's so I found it very interesting to read about the times that my grandmother lived through. Interestingly, the Catholic Worker has a website now (catholicworker.org). They are working on having Dorothy Day canonized as a saint. See: http://www.catholicworker.org/dorothy...

Her daughter, Tamar, died this past March. http://thechristianradical.blogspot.c...

[Katharine Holden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strangely lacking in depth for such a thick book. I didn't get a feel for the milieu in which DD lived and worked. Disjointed. Lots of details, but no clear picture emerged. Author works so hard to not take sides or make judgements that the book becomes a passive exercise. I think there was a lot more fire in DD's life and world than this book shows.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible amount of detail about her early years, but felt like it ran out of steam covering the last two decades of her life. An excellent chapter on the emergence of the theory of the Catholic worker. A suitable emphasis on the importance of the Retreat, but could have talked about the theological controversy surrounding Hugo.

[Martha]

slow, slow, slow