Mercy on 27Th Street: A Memoir

This book deals with the lives of several women who have been connected for almost fifty years, first as members of a religious community together, then as friends after most of them left the convent. The first part focuses on the author’s childhood and teenage years, while the remainder concentrates on the years she lived in a small community of six women who were all members of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, under the auspices of the Province of Cincinnati. Many changes occurred in their lives over the six or so years they lived in this community. Most of them were teachers, one a librarian. They made many friends with the people they encountered in what was primarily an African American population. Their neighbors were nothing if not gracious and welcoming. They learned many things about themselves as they struggled together and attempted to deal with various issues they had grown up with, including sexual abuse, alcoholism, and depression. At one point in their community life, they all attended therapy, both individually and as a group, hoping to learn how to better communicate with each other. They enjoyed good times and endured some hard times. They formed a group to study feminism, and other women they knew joined this group. It proved to be an eye-opening time.