"The title might also have used the phrase 'ex-Catholic American Writing'; for the introduction admits that the authors 'constitute a wide spectrum of contemporary Catholic American experience . . . ' and that 'at some time in their lives . . . they were all baptized Catholics . . . whether or not they have accepted Catholicism as the permanent organizing value. . . . ' This broad interpretation allows a wide range of writers--Mary McCarthy, Christopher Durang, Eugene O'Neill, Jack Kerouac, Walker Percy, J.F. Powers, for example. The book, which does not claim inclusiveness, selects 135 authors described in biographical-critical essays up to 4 pages long. Entries, by 67 contributors, vary in terms of the emphasis on criticism, biography, and explanation, if any, of the Catholic connection; they end with selected bibliographies of works by and about the author. Codes indicate general literary biographical reference sources where most if not all of these writers appear. Individual Hispanic American writers are not included but there is a general essay on Catholicism in their work. An index, bibliographic essay (indicating that other works on specifically Catholic authors are outdated), and a list of contributors conclude the work. . . . Recommended for academic and public libraries interested in this perspective." - Choice