Summary

Dorothy Day was piously religious from a young age, though the rest of her family was barely religious. An earthquake hit her childhood home in Oakland, California, and she took this as the ultimate sign of God. Though it was a terrible crisis causing destruction and ruin. However, it brought the neighbors together in solidarity, and Day saw this as a sign from God.

After the earthquake, the newspaper printing plant where her father worked was destroyed and their family lost their livelihood. They moved to Chicago, still in poverty, where her mother had four miscarriages. In general, the family became withdrawn and unaffectionate, and she spent a lot of her time alone or with friends. She was often bored when she wasn’t playing with friends, and spent a lot of time reading. In her teenage years, she also became fascinated with sex...