Saint Katharine: The Life of Katharine Drexel

Novelist and teacher Biddle (Without Fear) explores the remarkable life of St. Katharine Drexel. Born on the cusp of the Civil War to one of Philadelphia's most prominent families, Drexel enjoyed a privileged youth. In the aftermath of the loss of her father, however, she begins searching for a greater purpose. She devotes herself, and her staggering inheritance, to empowering Native Americans and African-Americans through education. After years of spiritual struggle, she becomes a nun and eventually establishes her own order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. An energetic, unwavering champion of social justice, Drexel builds schools throughout the Deep South and West, often encountering deeply rooted prejudice and overcoming tremendous obstacles. Biddle is a scrupulous researcher but maintains a refreshingly lucid, readable style. Her scholarship is enriched by her connection to the Drexel family as a descendent of Katharine's grandfather. While she is particularly adept at drawing the reader into 19th century Philadelphia and highlighting the sociohistorical context of Drexel's work, she might have paid closer attention to the spirituality and theological development of an American saint. (Nov.)