FROM THIS CLAY

Part meditation and part observation, at times deeply personal and at times philosophical, From This Clay uses personal experience to illuminate the interplay between the intellectual and spiritual life of a thoughtful Catholic. A collection of McCarthy's popular monthly columns in America magazine, these essays examine everything from fatherhood to Miss America, from the struggle for genuine faith to the struggle for a genuine President. In doing so, McCarthy reveals the elemental and surprising places where a life of spiritual reflection meets family life, intellectual life, and the political and social marketplace.

From the Preface:

“Here, then, is a story told by a mind willing to pause, take stock of what is there to be observed, overheard, and, too, a mind able to respond, connect, join with others moving along in their given lives…A mix of personal essays and opinion pieces, all the comments privy to a mind that summons Kierkegaard or Thomas Merton.”

–Robert Coles, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship