Dorothy Day

Above average, in depth biography - Day produced so much good autobiograhical writing and has been so much written about, yet Coles does more than re-hash old material or re-tell facts. He writes affectionately as a long time friend/associate of Day (I think he describes her somewhere as his spiritual mentor), but at the same time creates an honest, critical portrait using his backgound in psychiatry to plumb her motivation.

The narration style is dry, but appropriate for a bio, I think.

This biography lends itself very much to listening aloud, as much of it consists of long quotes transcribed directly from Cole's interviews with Dorothy Day. You feel that you are sitting in on a very interesting conversation, rather than listening to a book. Day herself pulls quotes from literature, the Bible, people she has encountered, her own writings, especially The Long Loneliness. Day also reflects much on her life experiences, retelling anecdoctal stories and adding her philosophical and theological reflections. The book is organized into long chapters that explore different themes and areas of Day's life. The biographer sometimes probes for meaning in the questions he asks, or he reflects upon his own biases, but he doesn't bother trying to interpret Day's words too much, but rather allows Day to speak for herself and leaves the reader to discern and question. We are invited to grapple with the same questions to which Day spent her life seeking answers.