Ingrained Habits

Mary Ellen O'Donnell is an independent scholar.

"Bordering on, but not quite falling victim to, the stereotypical, O'Donnell provides a lively narrative of an age and ethos of Catholicism, of an experience that is perhaps alien to children today but still recognizable."--D. A. Brown, emeritus, California State University, Fullerton, Choice Connect "Ingrained Habits weaves together with subtle sensitivity the author's contemporary Catholicism and the memories of some of America's greatest writers. Their mid-century Catholicism is a sensual, tactile world of candles burning in grandmother's bedroom and musings about the power of the swallowed host. O'Donnell warmly evokes the overlapping worlds of church, family, and school that structured Catholic life for decades. Ingrained Habits is a must read' for anyone who wants a textured portrayal of how a religion touches both body and soul. -"--Colleen McDannell, author of The Spirit of Vatican II: A History of Catholic Reform in America "Ingrained Habits offers readers a new way of understanding what it meant to grow up Catholic in the mid-twentieth century. Using a variety of memoirs and novels--some of which are relatively unknown to many--O'Donnell offers a fresh approach to documenting the ways Catholicism in the United States was lived in the school, the home, and the community during the years immediately preceding Vatican II. The book is a welcome addition to the growing field of American Catholic Studies. -"--Margaret McGuinness, Professor of Religion, La Salle University "Deftly captures the cultural memory of those who grew up with the structures and sway of mid-century Catholicism. Drawing on memoirs and other personal accounts, O'Donnell reveals how the experiences of parish, family, and neighborhood helped to forge an indelible sense of Catholic identity among members of that generation. It's a story whose cultural repercussions have had a profound influence on the history of U.S. Catholicism and which continues to bear on contemporary debates within the church today. -"--Thomas Rzeznik, Seton Hall University