Good Hearts: Catholic Sisters in Chicago's Past [Paperback]

Suellen Hoy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 2006

Suellen Hoy's "Good Hearts" describes and analyzes the activities and contributions of Catholic nuns in Chicago. Beginning with the arrival of women-religious in 1846 and ending with the sisters' social activism in the 1960s, "Good Hearts" traces the development and evolution of the sisters' work and ministry that included education, health care, and social services. Contrary to conventional portrayals of religious as reclusive and conservative, the nuns in "Good Hearts" are revealed as dynamic, powerful agents of change.Catholic sisters lived on the edge, serving sick and poor immigrants as well as those racially and religiously unlike themselves, such as the uneducated black migrants from the South. At all times, the sisters emphasized the importance of education to social mobility and equality. Hoy makes extensive use of primary documents, secondary sources, and personal interviews, as well as a series of revealing photographs to document their work and show that while almost always hidden, never-ending, and regularly ignored by male church leaders, the sisters' contributions were unique and generous, often saving those most at risk in a growing city.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (May 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252073010
• ISBN-13: 978-0252073014
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,902,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most historians tend to ignore or dismiss the work of nuns., June 20, 2006

By 

Monica K. Van Ness (Aurora, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Good Hearts: Catholic Sisters in Chicago's Past (Paperback)

In the book "Good Hearts: Catholic Sisters in Chicago's Past," Suellen Hoy takes a look at the kinds of work that nuns have been involved with over the years. She focuses on sisters/nuns in Chicago, but much of what she says could be said about so many other sisters and nuns across the United States. These women are presented as dynamic and powerful forces of change in society. They emphasized the importance of education, and showed how it could be used to move upwards in society, and could also help move equality forward. Very interesting, and very "readable" book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An introduction to the history of influential women in the Chicago's Catholic community, August 10, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Hearts: Catholic Sisters in Chicago's Past (Paperback)

Good Hearts: Catholic Sisters In Chicago's Past by Suellen Hoy (Guest Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame) is an introduction to the history of influential women in the Chicago's Catholic community. Ably compiling a concise biographically anthology as the basis for an in-depth study of meticulous scholarship, Good Hearts offers readers the wisdom of the nuns spanning a time period from the mid-1800's through the twentieth century, and with a particularly focus on the era surrounding the social and cultural issues of the 1960's and the activism contributed by Catholic women. Also available in a hardcover edition (0252030575, $50.00) Good Hearts is informative and recommended reading for non-specialist general readers with an interest in Chicago history, Women's Studies, the American Catholic church, and the historical influence of Catholic women in American social reforms.