A close-up look at a man at the Center of battles over changes in the Catholic Church draws on intensive interviews and research in order to present the human side of a powerful man leader of the American Catholic Church and the diverse issues dividing the church Nuclear weapons, homosexuality, women's role in the church, papal authoritythese are some of the topics on which Cardinal O'Connor, as archbishop of New York, has articulated the formal Catholic position. Paradoxically, he is pro labor and nuclear arms control, yet conservatively adheres to official church teaching on abortion, priestly celibacy, etc.a sort of orthodox progressive. Hentoff's sympathetic, discussable biography doesn't ignore O'Connor's blind spotsfor instance, his support of a ban on dissenting speakers. An eye-opening study of O'Connor's life, influence, and personal evolution, this is also a summary of the issues perplexing Americans and Catholics today. Nancy M. Laskowski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.