[A] sobering book. . . balanced by a look at the ways in which restorationism is already leading us toward a genuine 'catholic moment' in America.

National Catholic Register

One will look in vain for a more trenchant analysis of why Catholic America, often ridden with dissent, has until now failed, in Professor Varacalli's words, to 'shape the American Republic in any significant way.' . . . Bright Promise, Failed Community: Catholics and the American Public Order is sociology at its best!

Donald J. D'Elia, SUNY, New Paltz

I am genuinely impressed with the important matters [Varacalli] consider[s], critically important, I would say, for the Church and the American polity.

Walter Nicgorski, University of Notre Dame

No one has defined as clearly as Varacalli, precisely why the American Church has been relatively ineffective in shaping American public life. The "bright promise" of Catholic America lies in the long and still developing tradition of social Catholicism. This book is a remarkable contribution.

The Catholic Educator's Resource Center

In this lucidly written, physically attractive, intellectually lively, and politically provocative volume, author Joseph A. Varacalli offers his explanation as to why the 'bright promise' of Catholic social teaching hasn't been widely accepted and received favorably in the American Republic....Whether or not one agrees with Varacalli's analysis, he has put forth a serious intellectual, moral, and religious challenge to those who defend the present situation in the Catholic Church of the United States.'

Anthony Haynor, Seton Hall University

I am very, very impressed with [this] work. I don't believe anybody has yet defined quite as clearly as Varacalli has, with supporting evidence, precisely why the apparently prosperous American Church and the huge number of Catholics here should prove to be so relatively irrelevant to American public life. Varacalli has succeeded in explaining and documenting why this is so.

Kenneth D. Whitehead, Former Assistant Secretary of Education during the Reagan Administration