David R. Carlin is the author of two previous books: The Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America and Can a Catholic Be a Democrat? During the past 30 years he has written well over a hundred political and cultural opinion pieces in a number of national periodicals, including Commonweal, America, First Things, and The New York Times. He is a former Democratic Majority Leader of the Rhode Island Senate, and is currently a professor of sociology and philosophy at the Community College of Rhode Island.