The Berrigan Letters: Personal Correspondence between Daniel and Philip Berrigan ed. by Daniel Cosacchi and Eric Martin (review)

Studies of the post-Second World War peace movement regularly highlight the careers of Daniel and Philip Berrigan, the Catholic activists renowned for their decades of dramatic protests that often led to prison sentences. Their leadership inspired people to join the movement against militarism, and their Christian faith guided their ideology and decision-making. From broad surveys of postwar America to specific studies about antiwar movements to biographies of the two men, history has recorded their iconic role in promoting the cause of justice and struggling to end the United States' reliance upon war. The Berrigan Letters, edited by Daniel Cosacchi and Eric Martin, further establishes this legacy by contributing interesting material to what scholars already know about the Catholic brothers. Rather than another secondary analysis, the book offers primary documentation to supplement these other readings. Here, readers gain intimate insight into the Berrigans' personal and professional lives through the letters that the deeply close brothers wrote to one another.

The volume begins with an introduction that provides brief biographical sketches of Daniel and Philip, as well as a quick comment on the overall context in which the Berrigans worked. Cosacchi and Martin wrote an ideal piece here, with enough background to grant novice readers the history to get them started and experienced scholars an idea about their approach, but without weighing the collection down with an attempt to write a complete biography or make any grand addition to the historiography. If only every edited collection of documents could match their blend of brevity with pertinent information. As they explain in the introduction, "while the large corpus of writings about the Berrigans continues to grow, we hope that publishing their correspondence will allow it to be read as they told it to each other, with the character and intimacy of their own voices" (xvii). The same steady measure holds true for the way that they introduce each letter and supply readers with the necessary data about events, people mentioned, or other details within the letters. The editors succinctly summarize the needed content and let the reader get back to the primary documents.

In many ways, the chronologically organized letters lead the reader on a very typical path for postwar activists within a liberal Christian context. The Berrigan letters demonstrate their path through various issues of social justice, starting with the end of the Second World War and continuing until well into the 1990s. Their activism began within the Civil Rights Movement, included the fight against the arms race during the Cold War, and launched their more famous antiwar careers with their staunch opposition to the Vietnam War. They came to include issues of gender discrimination and concern for the gay and lesbian community, particularly with work for AIDS patients, as they traversed their careers of protest. While much of the historiography ends close examination of their anti-militarism campaign with the cessation of American involvement in Vietnam, the Berrigans and their colleagues sustained the same passion for the cause throughout their lives. Cosacchi and Martin chose letters that lead one through this social justice history in a natural way; they take you on the journey with the two brothers, and thereby readers gain a living history of the movement through two of its most influential leaders.

In the selection of letters, Cosacchi and Martin emphasize three themes that carry on throughout the book. First, the correspondence highlight the deep affection the two men had for each other. They regularly sent birthday tributes, and in them praised the other and gave evidence as to how they inspired one another through dedicated and faithful lives. They lean on each other in troubled times and find peace even in the darkest of hours with the knowledge that each brother worked to protect and assist the other. As Daniel once wrote to Philip, "I see your...