ON A SHOESTRING AND A PRAYER

This is a biography of Sister (and Mother) Alice, a Catholic nun who was the moving spirit behind several hospitals including St. Claire's in New York City. Its tone is that of an inspirational guide to young Catholic girls and full of small anecdotes about Sister Alice's girlhood in Ireland and her snappy replies in difficult situations later. All is apparently designed to make Sister Alice and her calling seem like fun. But judging by the work this woman accomplished, the hospitals run on little money or equipment, the difficult people overcome, and the hospital she set up in the teeth of the Depression, the lovable approach and banal prose ardly seem to do her justice. For a Catholic market primarily, with a foreword by Cardinal Spellman.