In the 1950s and 60s, Patricia Chadwick grew up in a religious community-turned-

social-experiment outside of Harvard Square.

Later, the St. Benedict Center, a sequestered Catholic community, moved to Still River, where it continued to develop its mission: "to create a pure-hearted community in which no material thing, no cultural influence, not even the bonds between family members, could impede the path to God."

But after growing up in "the Center," Chadwick was forced out in the 1960s at only 17 years old. At that point, she had never read a newspaper, watched a television, or made a phone call.

Her new memoir, "Little Sister" tells the story of what it was like to grow up in the group and what happened after, when she tried to put her life together.

Patricia Chadwick, author of "Little Sister: A Memoir."