Timothy Kelly

Timothy Kelly chairs the history department at St. Vincent College, where he teaches courses on environmental, religious, cultural and social history. He has written on the history of Catholics in the U.S., including a book on Vatican II in the Pittsburgh Diocese. He has recently written about the New Deal community of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, and is beginning to work on a similar Depression- era Catholic community of coal mining families in western Pennsylvania.

The Ku Klux Klan parades through the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sept. 21, 1923. (AP)

Aug 26, 2023

'A Fever in the Heartland' links Klan history to MAGA movement

Timothy Egan's A Fever in the Heartland draws powerful and uncomfortable parallels between the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and the rise of the MAGA movement.

People mourn during a memorial service at the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Hall of the University of Pittsburgh Oct. 28, 2018, a day after Robert Bowers shot and killed 11 people and injured six others. (CNS/Reuters/USA TODAY sports/Jeffrey Becker)

Apr 16, 2022

Book uplifts the soul of a Jewish neighborhood after unspeakable horror

Book Review: Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood provides an extraordinarily intimate and insightful book that balances Mark Oppenheimer's clear love for Squirrel Hill with a dispassionate reportorial perspective.

Women in Washington run past an exhibition of white flags at the National Mall Sept. 17, that represent Americans who have died of the coronavirus disease. (CNS/Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

Oct 16, 2021

Two books reflect on America in the time of the pandemic

Book Review: More than 18 months into the pandemic, many are wondering what we have learned from COVID-19, and how we will process the ongoing trauma. Two recent books offer useful chronicles to both relive the pandemic and see it through fresh eyes.

Apr 29, 2020

Jenkins' book shows people of faith led great US progressive achievements

Review: Jack Jenkins' ultimate interest is the role that the religious left plays in electoral politics, especially at the national level. He finds much to be encouraged about on this front. He concludes that progressive faith communities will influence the political arena for a long time to come.

Feb 05, 2020

Books on impeachment may both trouble and reassure President Trump

Given its rarity and proven inability to dislodge sitting presidents, it may be surprising to find several books on impeachment in recent years. Such is the nature of Donald Trump's presidency that many authors deemed it necessary to write these books.

Sep 04, 2019

Bios of Dr. Seuss, Mr. Rogers explore their creators' commitment to kids

Book review: Biographies of Theodor Geisel and Fred Rogers allow us to reflect on the culture of American childhood over the past half century, as well as explore the lives of two very interesting men who did so much to shape that culture.

Aug 28, 2019

Authors detail lives, deaths of US missioners

Book review: Martyrs of Hope focuses on the U.S. government's role in the repression of Latin Americans aspiring to live in dignity. It is a compelling discussion of the lives and murders of seven U.S. missioners.

Jun 05, 2019

Fracking becomes personal suffering

Book Review: Stacey Haney likely never read Pope Francis' encyclical on humans and the environment, but her experiences highlight the relevance of the pope's environmental concerns for ordinary Americans who often feel insulated from these matters.

Oct 17, 2018

Modern hate's anti-Catholic roots

Book Review: Do Catholics who oppose immigration to the United States today know that they join a long tradition deeply rooted in anti-Catholicism?

Sep 06, 2017

Old case, new look at systemic racism

Book Review: What happened to Emmett Till and the actions that followed have haunted the American conscience for six decades and served as a key spark of the 1950s and 1960s civil rights movement.