Sisters of Mokama: The Pioneering Women Who Brought Hope and Healing to India

New York Times opinion editor Thottam debuts with a vivid and uplifting portrait of a hospital in the small market town of Mokama in Bihar, India, built in 1947 by a group of Catholic nuns from Kentucky. Looking for a “new role as women in the Church,” six nuns from the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth traveled to India, where the traumas of Partition and deficiencies in the healthcare system were causing diseases like cholera to run rampant. By July 1948, the nuns had built and staffed a 28-bed hospital; the following year, they opened a nursing school. Young Indian women, including the author’s mother, came to Nazareth Hospital because they wanted a life beyond what tradition typically offered. Though students didn’t hesitate to point out the racist attitudes of teachers and administrators, Thottam doesn’t linger on disharmony, preferring to focus on the hard work and dedication of all the women of Nazareth Hospital. She also doesn’t sugarcoat the stresses of missionary work, documenting how illness and exhaustion forced chief surgeon Mary Wiss to choose between her health, her medical career, and her commitment to the order. Full of complex characters and intriguing historical tidbits, this is a rousing story of hope and determination. Illus. (Apr.)