Undoing the Knots

“[The author’s] willingness to examine her actions while coming to the realization that, while her intentions have always been good, they do not address the problem, is incredibly refreshing . . . Though the material may be uncomfortable to digest, it is an absolutely necessary read to foster antiracism.”
—Booklist

"Recommended for readers interested in assimilation issues faced by Irish Catholic immigrants as well as the varied aspects of racism in the United States."
—Denise J. Stankovics, Library Journal

"O’Connell’s…revelation offers some hope to the reader: traditions are constantly evolving. Although Catholicism and anti-Blackness remain entangled, O’Connell believes that connection can be unwound."
—Emma McDonald, Commonweal Magazine

"[A] book that will challenge white Catholics to draw on the personal to see beyond it and confront systemic racism in the Church—possibly for the first time."
—Dr. Tia Noelle Pratt, curator of the #BlackCatholics Syllabus and assistant vice president for Mission Engagement and Strategic Initiatives, Villanova University

"Maureen O'Connell's important book. . . offers a model for how white Catholics can face up to our histories and find a way forward as people who pursue racial justice."
—John Gehring, National Catholic Reporter

"In unearthing the church’s troublesome history around racism through the lens of her own family, Maureen O’Connell invites us to join her on an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual journey that will give us the tools we need to show up for racial justice in our communities, especially our faith communities. A superb book by a gifted writer, a talented theologian, and a thoughtful observer of our contemporary world."
—James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

“Undoing the Knots is a bold, brave, courageous prayer and plea for us to create ‘a new earth.’ O’Connell’s incisive writing leads the reader into a soul excavation, one that peels back self-righteousness and makes you grapple with the destructive underlying scripts—from church doctrine to family conversations—that inform racism at its most personal level. This is a book that compels the reader to engage the conversation on race with head and heart, and to manifest that heart transformation through a commitment toward structural change within Catholic communities and the Church itself.”
—Rev. Natosha Reid Rice, founder of Fresh Rain for Life Ministries and Global Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer for Habitat for Humanity International

“Maureen O’Connell’s Undoing the Knots is essential reading for this country’s conversation about whiteness and systemic racism from the angle of O’Connell&rrsquo;s faith tradition, Catholicism. At once personal and historical, narrative and analytical, O’Connell’s writing is vulnerable, searching, and open. Her desire to draw what is often a shameful history into the light is ultimately a hopeful project, and O’Connell is a worthy conversation partner on our journey to a more just union.”
—Donna Freitas, author of Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention

“In unearthing the Church’s troublesome history around racism through the lens of her own family, Maureen O’Connell invites us to join her on an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual journey that will give us the tools we need to show up for racial justice in our communities, especially our faith communities. A superb book by a gifted writer, a talented theologian, and a thoughtful observer of our contemporary world.”
—James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage