Choice Review

In her readable account of Chicago's Irish Catholics, McMahon discusses the varied experiences of this ethnic group in the US as she sets the stage for her study of one parish on Chicago's southwest side. The author clearly demonstrates the difference between Irish "territorial" parishes and other "national" parishes. The latter tended to separate themselves from mainstream US and other Catholics. McMahon tells St. Sabina's story chronologically from 1916 until the 1970s, when the parish became largely African American. She focuses on leading clergy and lay individuals who helped create a successful church and school. The book is an outgrowth of a dissertation and is based largely on personal interviews done mostly during 1985-86. There are no pictures of leading individuals or of the magnificent church, a surprising omission. A useful addition to collections on Chicago, Irish, and Catholic history. General, undergraduate. A. K. Prinz; Elmhurst College