Part meditation and part observation, at times deeply personal and at times philosophical, From This Clay uses personal experience to illuminate central issues and concepts in the life of a thoughtful Catholic. A collection of Thomas J. McCarthy's popular monthly columns in America magazine, these essays examine everything from fatherhood to Miss America, from the struggle for genuine faith to the struggle for a genuine President. In doing so, McCarthy reveals the elemental and surprising places where a life of reflection meets family life, intellectual life, and the political and social marketplace.