Interesting. It sounds like it covers some of the same times as the book about
Dorothy Day. And it does seem that history keeps repeating itself.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Penny Reeder
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2020 6:31 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: book
The last town on Earth, by Thomas Mullen, which i finished just last night,
focuses on the pandemic of 1918, as well as opposition to our entry into World
War I, the women’s suffrage movement, the Wobblies and opposition to the Labor
Movement, and so much more that will remind you of so much unsettling current
news. It’s a good novel, available from BookShare. I recommend it. Penny
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 17, 2020, at 5:48 PM, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From BARD, a few days ago, I started reading, Dorothy Day: dissenting
voice of the American century DB99301. I was curious about her because
she is the founder of the Catholic Worker movement which still exists
today and is, I believe, still manifested in the form of communal
houses located in poverty stricken neighborhoods where dedicated
Catholic socialists live and contribute to the surrounding community.
I'm not sure how much of it is left. In the 60's the Berrigan
brothers, the well known anti-war activists, came out of that
community. And if I remember correctly, Jeremy Scahill, whom Carl will
recognize because he is one of the young reporters in training at
Democracy Now who graduated, but is still permitted back, and he runs
the Intercepted podcast, comes out of the Catholic Worker movement. I
think his parents are, or were, members. But what is so fascinating
about this book is that when Dorothy Day was a young woman, not yet
religious, she was moving in radical circles. There are socialists and
communists, magazine and newspaper editors, and authors, many of whose
names are familiar to us. It was the time when the US joined World War
One, and the years afterward. There is so much about the political
ideas and the movements that seem so similar to what is happening now.
The Espionage Act was passed back then, as a response to the anti-war
movement. There was this fear that Communism would envelop our country
because the revolution had just taken place in Russia. It's an
interesting time to read about. The horror of Dorothy's friends as they saw
her becoming religious, is also interesting.
Miriam