Urban catholic education the best of times the worst of times thomas c hunt david j obrien and timothy walch eds new york peter lang 2013 221 pp reviewed by gina a cappelletti university of pennsylvania hasty fain perspectives on urban education volume 11 issue 2 summer 2014 132 u rban catholic education the best of times the worst of times 2013 serves as a sequel to . Urban catho lic education wishes to explain the book expands beyond this basic narrative and reports how schools have been forging new identities in the midst of social and demographic adversity over the past half century the edited book is comprised of ten local accounts of urban catholic. Urban catholic education the best of times the worst of times is a sequel to a 2010 work with the similar title urban catholic education tales of twelve american cities together these works explore the historical contours of the catholic parochial school movement in americas divergent urban centers from colonial times to the present the first volume covers the years of growth and expansion up to 1970 and the second volume continues the story and discusses the years of decline and . Together these works explore the historical contours of the catholic parochial school movement in americas divergent urban centers from colonial times to the present the first volume covers the years of growth and expansion up to 1970 and the second volume continues the story and discusses the years of decline and retrenchment over the past forty years in this second volume ten scholars