Dreadful Conversions: The Making of a Catholic Socialist

by John C. Cort

For more than 50 years, John Cort has been at the center of most of the social movements of our time. Writer, reporter, teacher, activist, Cort has spent his life fighting good fights, whether on a Boston newspaper, with the Peace Corps in the Philippines, as a labor leader, or in dozens of campaigns for justice, peace and human rights. Here is John Cort's story--the measure of an exemplary life and a vivid, personal chronicle of American radicalism across virtually every major struggle. At its heart, this is also the story of what it means to take seriously the distinctively radical Catholic vision that informs American political and religious life in this century. It started in 1935, when Cort converted to Catholicism as a Harvard undergraduate. A year later, he was in New York City on the staff of the Catholic Worker, working with such legendary figures as Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Plunged into the class wars of the Depression, Cort began a 20-year commitment to organizing workers, notably through the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists. Later, Cort served many social action causes while continuing to teach, report, and write. Whether running a model Cities program, a newspaper guild, or a homeless shelter, or as a delegate to a world apostolic congress, Cort brought to life in his radicalism and his socialism the teachings of Catholic activism embodied most vividly by Dorothy Day and John XIII. Desperate Conversions is a unique primer in Catholic social theory, told in the chapters of John Cort's own life. Quirky, personal, distinctive, his memoir captures one of the great stories of our American century--and tells it in a voice no one can forget.

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Cort fought the good fight for a very long time after converting to Catholicism while at Harvard

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortly before my mom died she gave me this book and said, "Read this, honey, it's the closest thing to my life." 'Deadly Conversions' sounded depressing so I wasn't exactly motivated but after she passed I picked it up and was spell bound by John Cort's memoirs, moved to tears to read about people I knew growing up, friends of mom's so close we called them aunt and uncle: Aunt Maggie (one of my sisters is named after her) and Uncle George lived and raised a large family in Brooklyn. They were life long advocates for the Catholic Worker a socialist organization helping the less fortunate. Uncle George nearly lost his life making the docks a safer place to work. The legendary formation of the unions Elia Kazan exploited to make On The Waterfront were his real life experiences.
Till the day mom died any time an envelope arrived for the the Democratic Party, the Democratic Caucus, Democratic Think Tank, Democratic Socialists of America, Feed the Children - you name it - if it said "Democratic" on the envelope, mom would write them a little check.This book deepened my appreciation of my mother's life-long liberalism, her involvement with the Newspaper Guild, Dorothy Day, and the political and social activism which defined her and her closest friends. Cort's book reminded me of the positive aspects of the Catholic church, unionism, what it means to be dedicated to helping people attain social justice at work and at home; what it is to be committed to social programs anathema to our current administration. Programs too numerous to name like the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Peace Corps and the fulfillment possible in a life helping others. Mr Cort was a friend of my mom's. After reading his book I know my mom better, my life better and American history better.