A nun in 1950s Ireland abandons the veil to run a farm inherited from her father. Sister Mary Thomas is good looking and flirtatious, and suitors queue at her door. But she does not want a husband, only a child, and eventually she gives birth to one, scandalizing the district and getting a priest into trouble. By the author of Celibates and Other Lovers.

The culmination of a lifetime's scholarly work, this pioneering study by Sister Prudence Allen traces the concept of woman in relation to man in Western thought from ancient times to the present. Volume I uncovers four general categories of questions asked by philosophers for two thousand years. These are the categories of opposites, of generation, of wisdom, and of virtue. Sister Prudence Allen traces several recurring strands of sexual and gender identity within this period. Ultimately, she shows the paradoxical influence of Aristotle on the question of woman and on a philosophical understanding of sexual coomplemenarity. Supplemented throughout with helpful charts, diagrams, and illustrations, this volume will be an important resource for scholars and students in the fields of women's studies, philosophy, history, theology, literary studies, and political science. In Volume 2, Sister Prudence Allen explores claims about sex and gender identity in the works of over fifty philosophers (both men and women) in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods. Touching on the thought of every philosopher who considered sex or gender identity between A.D. 1250 and 1500, The Concept of Woman provides the analytical categories necessary for situating contemporary discussion of women in relation to men. Adding to the accessibility of this fine discussion are informative illustrations, helpful summary charts, and extracts of original source material (some not previously available in English). In her third and final volume Allen covers the years 1500--2015, continuing her chronological approach to individual authors and also offering systematic arguments to defend certain philosophical positions over against others.

Eilis is a feisty young woman, growing up in an Ireland that has changed significantly since the days of her grandmother's youth. But some things do not change: Eilis, too, flouts conventional mores, especially when she decides to have a baby out of wedlock like her grandmother before her.

A “remarkable” study of white Catholics and African Americans—and the dynamics between them in New York, Chicago, Boston, and other cities (The New York Times Book Review). Parish Boundaries chronicles the history of Catholic parishes in major cities such as Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Philadelphia, melding their unique place in the urban landscape to the course of twentieth century American race relations. In vivid portraits of parish life, John McGreevy examines the contacts and conflicts between European-American Catholics and their African American neighbors. By tracing the transformation of a church, its people, and the nation, McGreevy illuminates the enormous impact of religious culture on modern American society. “Thorough, sensitive, and balanced.”—Kirkus Reviews “Parish Boundaries can take its place in the front ranks of the literature of urban race relations.”—The Washington Post "A prodigiously researched, gracefully written book distinguished especially by its seamless treatment of social and intellectual history."—American Historical Review “Parish Boundaries will fascinate historians and anyone interested in the historic connection between parish and race.”—Chicago Tribune

"An epic, original reinvention of the Gothic novel, taking the characters of our greatest novels, myths, and nightmares - the werewolf, the vampire, Frankenstein - and reimagining them for our time"--