Sojourner Truth

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Africa Receives Them Back.
best readings
Great Speeches by African Americans

Great Speeches by African Americans: Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, and Others (Thrift Edition)
James Daley
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486447618

Book Description

This anthology comprises speeches by influential figures in the history of African-American culture and politics. Contents include the famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech by Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass' immortal "What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?" Martin Luther King, Jr.,'s "I Have a Dream," Barack Obama, and many others.

Customer Reviews:

Africa Receives Them Back........2007-03-23

This book was bought for a missionary in the rain forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for his schools. The schools are for the Batwa pygmy students. Their tribe in recent times was dominated by the Ekonda Master tribe. Now they are schooled together. This is for their English and History classes and their library.

The missionary who started the schools through Mission Pendjua, Dr. Jerry Galloway MD, feels this book will be a powerful influence and also give them the insight into the American expression of being an African American.

In a sense, "what comes round goes round" and this book and it's information and hope are being returned to Africa. It is powerful to realize that generations later, these authors and speakers are leading the way for the coming changes of the African continent.

Joyce M. Grubbs

best readings.......2007-01-30

this is a book that will give you insight into a lot of issues.

Great Speeches by African Americans.......2007-01-22

Interesting accounts of historic figures in african american history as displaced in the memorable speeches. Gives insight into the thinking and beliefs of some the great african american leaders of past and present times. If you are a historican of african american leaders or an avid reader, I would strongly recommend reading this book.

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman (Scholastic Biography)

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Review by Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal
A book...with a Twist!
Good
Sojourner Truth, an Inspiring Lady.
Sojourner Truth Ain't I a Woman

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman (Scholastic Biography)
Patricia C. Mckissack
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Sojourner Truth: A Life, a Symbol

ASIN: 0590446916

Customer Reviews:

Review by Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.......2006-12-21

Her name was Isabella but her parents called her, Belle. Sojourner Truth is a story about a strong woman who demanded integrity. Slavery's long shadow cast over families rendered them helpless to save their own children who were sold, and powerless to save themselves from cruel and unkind treatment by the masters. Their lives were filled with heartbreak and suffering and the only times of relief were when they got together to sing mournful songs or cried out to their god to help them. Belle was one of the first black women in the country to win a court case. She won back her six-year-old son who was sold. She was free, but her four daughters were left in slavery. She took her son and went to New York to seek better opportunity and promised to send for them once they were freed at twenty-one years of age. Her son, Peter, had an obsession with taking things that did not belong to him and she needed to seek rehab for him. She was very tall and her feet wore size twelve shoe. She never owned a pair of shoes until she was an adult and hired a cobbler to custom make them. The book is a collection of data, rather than a mellifluous story, rife with names of people involved in the slavery issue, so that it is difficult to follow in many places. After Belle and Peter arrived in New York they found a Methodist Church where black people worshipped. There a brother and sister who had been sold away from her parents years ago found her. She found that one of the elders of the church whom she had worshipped with and who had passed away was another sister. Belle was taken in by a religious scheme and accused of murder. It took her three years to prove her innocence. Peter never rehabilitated and finally after being jailed numerous times his mother and a minister got him commissioned for duty on a ship at sea. He wrote letters but she never saw him again. In the 1830's New York was a center for the abolitionist movement and the management of the Underground Railroad. Slaves wanting to run away were contacted by a "conductor" who would give them directions to safe houses along the way until they were in a free state or Canada. Songs were used to pass code messages and the North Star was used as a guiding light. At forty-six, 1843, Belle changed her name to Sojourner Truth and went East which she thought was directions from God. She traveled to camp meetings speaking and singing and talking about the suffering of slavery. The simplicity of her language and the sincerity of her message, combined with the courage of her convictions made Sojourner a sought-after speaker. She was cautious of fanaticism and didn't like noise and commotion. Noted abolitionists were William Lloyd Garrison, publisher of The Liberator; Wendell Phillips, known as abolition's Golden Trumpet, and George Thompson, a noted British abolitionist. David Ruggles and William Sill have been credited with helping to free over 600 fugitives while serving on the Underground Railroad. Fifty thousand slaves escaped through this organization. Women's rights were also sought during this same timeframe. Sojourner was not educated, but Olive Gilbert wrote her biography and she sold it at meetings. The audiences changed drastically as a pro-slavery group called the Copperheads formed in the north. Her mission became dangerous, but she never gave up. She attended a woman's rights convention in Akron, Ohio where she gave a historical speech aimed at the pedants and hypocrites, combining her slavery experience with women's inequality and frequently reiterating, "Ain't I a woman?" The fugitive slave law was an obstacle to abolitionists to the point that some were preparing for war, but Sojourner did not want war. From 1851 to 1857 she spoke out for anti-slavery and women's rights. In 1853 she visited Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, written in 1852 as a response to the Fugitive Slave Act. By 1856 over two million copies had been sold. Sojourner retired at 60 in Harmonia, Michigan and was joined by two of her daughters and two grandchildren. At 62, she went back on the speaking tour, accompanied by her grandson, Sammy. There were at least two hundred slave uprisings between 1800 and 1859. John Brown was a radical abolitionist and after his trial and execution was hailed as martyr, a symbol of freedom. People sang "John Brown's Body" and later during the civil war Julia Ward Howe wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" to the music of "John Brown's Body." It was a personal favorite of Abraham Lincoln, who would be remembered as "the Emancipator." Sojourner visited with Lincoln and ask for an autograph for her "Book of Life," a scrapbook of her memoirs. She thanked him for doing so much for her race. The civil war was over April 9, 1965 and Lincoln was dead of an assassin's bullet six days later. At seventy, Sojourner worked for the war department at Freedman's Hospital. Susan B.Anthony devoted efforts to women's suffrage in 1869 after the fifteenth amendment was passed in 1868 and Sojourner teamed up with her. Black males were allowed to vote, but not females. They all died before women won the right in 1919. Sojourner's last cause was to travel with a petition for congress to sign a land grant proposal for the black people who had worked for no pay. Sammy grew ill with a fever and died before he was twenty-five. She never stopped mourning for him but continued to do occasional speaking and women's rights projects until her death at eighty-six.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.

A book...with a Twist!.......2006-07-05

A thrilling book that I was intrigued to read during my summer home for 2 weeks. The book takes a rather twist which im impressed how not many decided to put on their reviews.

It's a great more than a biography of a groovy... woman...but what's more is that it chronicles of not just one, but many courageous individuals battles against injustice... really!

There's an impressive ending which it has been posted before in this amazon review section.

Buy the book!!! Places to go, take a look in a reading rainbow!

Good.......2005-11-04

I liked this book because it took you through her whole life in chronological order. However, it was not very useful for the information I was looking for. It talks about her as a slave and an abolitionist, but it doesn't say much about her as a feminist. I would've been five stars if the author had given more on her and feminism.

Sojourner Truth, an Inspiring Lady........2004-03-26

This book starts out with the birth of Sojourner Truth and takes you all the way through her life. You learn about her as a slave, as a free woman, as a preacher, an abolitionist, and an activist for the rights of both blacks and woman.

I personally did not know much about Sojourner Truth, but I do now.

If you are looking for a great novel to entertain you or for something to keep you on the edge of your seat, then this book probably isn't what your looking for. If you want to learn about history and an inspiring lady than I would say pick up this book and read. There is nothing worng with knowledge and this book is a great way to learn.

Sojourner Truth Ain't I a Woman.......2003-12-18

Sojouner Truth Ain't I a Woman takes place in the 1700's-1800's, about 300 years ago. This genre is non-fiction. If you like true stories then read this!
This story is about black people being slaves. Sojouner works for a family that beats her. She works for them for about 13 years. Then she gets sold again and the family tells her she can leave at 27 years (a year before she is suppose to.) The family says, "No you can't leave we changed our mind," when she was about to leave. They finally make a deal and say, "Okay, you can leave."

Book Description

This inspiring memoir, first published in 1850, recounts the struggles of a distinguished African-American abolitionist and champion of women's rights. Sojourner Truth tells of her life in slavery, her self-liberation, and her travels across America in pursuit of racial and sexual equality. Essential reading for students of American history.

Customer Reviews:

Historical reminder.......2007-05-12

Provided a valuable insight into some of the thinking of slaves even while experiencing inhumane treatment and searching for their own identity. A woman of courage, foresight and well ahead of her time.

Excellent.......2006-08-30

In a world that still suffers from the blight of slavery, mainly in Islamic nations and northern Africa, and Sudan, but also through the sex trade in nations like Thailand, this book is a great nonfiction account, especially for grade and middle schoolers, but also for all who think slavery is a thing of the past.

history hurts but is needed to know.......2006-08-20

I can never tire of learning the depts of suffering black woman had to endure. It gives me even more pride for my people and much hope for a better tomorrow.

let the truth be known.......2002-12-29

very much a must read
the way the words flow
with your thoughts
as if you were really there
to me it is a must read
nice book

THE TRUTH FROM SOJOURNER TRUTH.......2002-12-16

Anyday, anywhere, this book: "The Narrative of Sojourner Truth", is a masterpiece. The hardship she endured, as well as other horrors of slavery will always live in our memories. Afterall, it is said that: 'The evil that men do lives after them'. Sojourner's courage and perseverance is commendable. There is a lot to learn from her.
I strain to keep myself from laughing each time a serious issue like Slavery is raised, and I see men and women do nothing but run for cover. The North accuses the South of having been too tenacious on slavery, and the South accuses the North of hypocrisy, insisting that she (the North), started it in the first place: by disguising the first slaves whom she brought (in 1619) to New Amsterdam (the present day New York) as "indentured servants".
Surely, the guilty are afraid and ashamed; but that changes nothing. Reality will always remain reality. This 138-paged book is a fantastic history memo. It is the real truth; from Sojourner Truth.

The Black Christ (Bishop Henry McNeal Turner/Sojourner Truth Series in Black Religion)

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The Black Christ (Bishop Henry McNeal Turner/Sojourner Truth Series in Black Religion)
Kelly Brown Douglas
Manufacturer: Orbis Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0883449390

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth

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A Story for All Times, All Races, All Ages
She could not be silenced
The story of a real fighter for freedom
The Voice of Freedom.....
review on only passing through: the story of sojourner truth

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth
Anne Rockwell
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679891862
Release Date: 2000-12-26

Amazon.com

Born in 1797, and sold three times by the time she was 13 (and beaten many more times), a tall young slave girl named Isabella grew in her determination to fight the evils of slavery and speak for human rights. At the age of 46, having been a free woman for 17 years, Isabella woke from a dream telling her she must travel the country, conveying to people what it meant to be a slave. On that day, Isabella renamed herself.

<blockquote>"It was as though the life she'd known up till then belonged to someone else. A new one was beginning. The old life had become a tale to tell, a story to bring freedom to others. Her old name belonged to her old life. From that day on, she was never called Isabella again. Her name was Sojourner Truth."</blockquote> Anne Rockwell's picture-book biography of the legendary and powerful messenger of civil rights rings with authority and dignity, matched by Gregory Christie's full-page impressionistic paintings featuring Truth's symbolically outsized head and hands, and striking perspectives of both slaves and slave owners. Awash with rich color, Christie's images will linger long with readers, as will Rockwell's description of Sojourner Truth singing in the face of enraged, drunken antiabolitionists. The author includes a historical note and a 19th century timeline for further context. Rockwell is the noted author of more than 100 books for children, and Christie was the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in <a ref="/exec/obidos/ASIN/1880000768/${0}">The Palm of My Heart. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

A powerful picture book biography of one of the abolitionist movement's most compelling voices.

Sojourner Truth traveled the country in the latter half of the 19th century, speaking out against slavery. She told of a slave girl who was sold three times by age 13, who was beaten for not understanding her master's orders, who watched her parents die of cold and hunger when they could no longer work for their keep. Sojourner's simple yet powerful words helped people to understand the hideous truth about slavery. The story she told was her own.

Only Passing Through is the inspiring story of how a woman, born a slave with no status or dignity, transformed herself into one of the most powerful voices of the abolitionist movement. Anne Rockwell combines her lifelong love of history with her well-known skill as a storyteller to create this simple, affecting portrait of an American icon.

Customer Reviews:

A Story for All Times, All Races, All Ages.......2007-01-29

This is a wonderful book for all young men and women to read. The lessons it teaches, from being "the new kid", to "the foreign kid", to "the abandoned and abused kid" to being "the black kid" certainly ring as true today as they did in Sojourner Truth's Day. The author's passion for the subject, and the illustrators moving illustrations reach out and touch readers, and inspire them to look into their own lives to be certain they are helping to create a diverse society. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King. This book would be a wonderful story for kids to act-out in class for Black History Month. The author certainly seems to know about race relations, and peace. I recommend this for all parents who want to raise children who see people with their hearts, and not their eyes. Who see no color, just the glorious traditions, rich heritage, tremendous courage, and incredible art that comes from being downtrodden for generations.

She could not be silenced.......2002-09-13

Many a young reader will be shocked by the opening page of this story about slavery in the U.S. For the auction block from which a 9-year-old girl was sold in 1806 was in Kingston, N.Y., not Alabama or Mississippi.

Isabella was sold only after a long day in which no bidders showed any interest--until the auctioneer threw in a flock of sheep. She was separated from her aged, ill parents, who were left to fend for themselves, having been worn out by cruel masters. Hell followed for Isabella, for her new master spoke English while she spoke Dutch--like most people in the Hudson valley. For not understanding, he whipped her so hard that her back bore the scars all the rest of her life.

She was sold to a tavern-keeper and, when she was 13, to a neighboring farmer named John Dumont. At 16, she was six feet tall and could do the work of any man. She was forced to wed, against her will, and bore four daughters and a son. In 1817, New York enacted a law that would free all slaves on July 4, 1827. By then, Isabella was 28. But when Dumont reneged on his promise to free her, she ran to a nearby farm, believing that its abolitionist owners would save her. The Van Wageners bought and freed her.

Dumont, however, sold her son Peter to an Alabama plantation owner. To sell a slave out-of-state was then illegal in New York. Isabella took the unheard-of step of hiring a white lawyer to plead a court case for the return of her son. She won, he returned, she sent him to school, and he became a sailor on a whaling ship.

After Peter left, Isabella dreamed that she should travel the U.S. and tell people of her bondage. She took the name of Sojourner Truth. The final pages of this adventure tell some of the accomplishments of this American heroine. The illustrations greatly compliment the story, accentuating the iron will of a woman who would not be bought, or silenced.

The book concludes with a one-page author's note and a chronology of the events of Sojourner Truth's life. In the former, the author writes of those times when evil rules, and good people feel called upon to tell the truth to those who do not wish to hear.

Sojourner Truth was such a person, and she lived in such a time. Children find this story inspirational. Alyssa A. Lappen

The story of a real fighter for freedom.......2002-08-21

"Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth" combines text by Anne Rockwell with illlustrations by R. Gregory Christie. Together they tell the story of Truth, who was an important figure in the movement to abolish slavery in the United States. The text discusses her own life in slavery, how she gained her freedom, and her participation in the abolitionist movement. The book includes a chronology of her life.

The illustrations are colorful and striking, but Christie's human figures are bizarrely distorted, with out-of-proportion heads, limbs, and hands. Ultimately I found that this style distracted me from the important story being told. Still, this book is a worthwhile look at an important figure in American history.

The Voice of Freedom............2001-07-02

Anne Rockwell's moving picture book biography of Sojourner Truth is a powerful and evocative story that will draw youngsters in and take them on a journey toward freedom with an amazing woman. Born into slavery, Isabella was taken away from her parents when she was only nine, sold three times, threatened, beaten and lost her own children to slavery before she was finally freed. Though she never learned to read or write, she challenged the system of buying and selling people in court, traveled around the country, spoke out against slavery and became one of the most powerful voices in the abolitionist movement. She was a sojourner, one who is only passing through and her mission was to speak the truth about the evils of slavery..... Ms Rockwell's passionate and eloquently written biography is complemented by Gregory Christie's beautifully rich paintings and together they've authored a story about this remarkable woman that's full of courage and strength. With an author's note and timeline at the end to augment and enhance discussions, Only Passing Through is a wonderful book, perfect for youngsters 9-12 and a story few will soon forget.

review on only passing through: the story of sojourner truth.......2001-01-15

I think this is a wonderful book. I have not read it but even the title pulls you in. The reason I am writing about this book is because I love slave stories. I have read other books by this author and I think she is awesome. This book is on my wish list and i hope to get it soon

Slavery on Trial: Law, Abolitionism, and Print Culture (Studies in Legal History)

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Slavery on Trial: Law, Abolitionism, and Print Culture (Studies in Legal History)
Jeannine Marie DeLombard
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

America's legal consciousness was high during the era that saw the imprisonment of abolitionist editor William Lloyd Garrison, the execution of slave revolutionary Nat Turner, and the hangings of John Brown and his Harpers Ferry co-conspirators.

Narrative of Sojourner Truth (Penguin Classics)

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Interesting...

Narrative of Sojourner Truth (Penguin Classics)
Sojourner Truth , and Nell Irvin Painter
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140436782

Customer Reviews:

Interesting..........2005-11-04

I thought this book was written a little differently, but I also found it helpful. It was cool how Sojourner Truth's Book of Life was written inside of it along with a whole separate book. There was a lot of good information in it. I used this book for a school project and it worked out great. The book was useful and interesting to read because there are letters from people she knew that were written to her. I enjoyed reading this also recieved info from it.

The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th-Century America

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The search for Prophets in Early America.
A Fascinating Microcosm of the Burned-Over District
Wondering About Christianity
Brilliant!
Extraordinary

The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th-Century America
Paul E. Johnson , and Sean Wilentz
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195038274

Book Description

In the autumn of 1834, New York City was awash with rumors of a strange religious cult operating nearby, centered around a mysterious, self-styled prophet named Matthias. It was said that Matthias the Prophet was stealing money from one of his followers; then came reports of lascivious sexual relations, based on odd teachings of matched spirits, apostolic priesthoods, and the inferiority of women. At its climax, the rumors transformed into legal charges, as the Prophet was arrested for the murder of a once highly-regarded Christian gentleman who had fallen under his sway. By the time the story played out, it became one of the nation's first penny-press sensations, casting a peculiar but revealing light on the sexual and spiritual tensions of the day. In The Kingdom of Matthias, the distinguishd historians Paul Johnson and Sean Wilentz brilliantly recapture this forgotten story, imbuing their richly researched account with the dramatic force of a novel. In this book, the strange tale of Matthias the Prophet provides a fascinating window into the turbulent movements of the religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening--movements which swept up great numbers of evangelical Americans and gave rise to new sects like the Mormons. Into this teeming environment walked a down-and-out carpenter named Robert Matthews, who announced himself as Matthias, prophet of the God of the Jews. His hypnotic spell drew in a cast of unforgettable characters--the meekly devout businessman Elijah Pierson, who once tried to raise his late wife from the dead; the young attractive Christian couple, Benjamin Folger and his wife Ann (who seduced the woman-hating Prophet); and the shrewd ex-slave Isabella Van Wagenen, regarded by some as "the most wicked of the wicked." None was more colorful than the Prophet himself, a bearded, thundering tyrant who gathered his followers into an absolutist household, using their money to buy an elaborate, eccentric wardrobe, and reordering their marital relations. By the time the tensions within the kingdom exploded into a clash with the law, Matthias had become a national scandal. In the hands of Johnson and Wilentz, the strange tale of the Prophet and his kingdom comes vividly to life, recalling scenes from recent experiences at Jonestown and Waco. They also reveal much about a formative period in American history, showing the connections among rapid economic change, sex and race relations, politics, popular culture, and the rich varieties of American religious experience.

Customer Reviews:

The search for Prophets in Early America........2005-09-04

Fundamentalism whether Christian or Moslem always breaks out the nut cases. So it was with Christian Fundamentalism in the 1820s and 1830s of the United States. Christianity is undergoing a revival and various creeds are arguing about what is the one true version. Up through the ranks come the likes of Pierson and Matthews who dream of the old days where women obey men. They recreate a small kingdom (only a house with several families) with a head patriach. Matthews becomes King Matthias and makes the decisions in his kingdom. He selects another man's wife as his servant and allocates the financial resources for his kingdom. He is in fact a cult leader. His actions may have resulted in a old man not getting proper medical treatment and then dying. The civil authorities take him on and prosecute him, whereby he loses much of his power.
I didn't know the history of this affair. It seems rather mild by today's standards. The book is an OK read.

A Fascinating Microcosm of the Burned-Over District.......2002-01-27

In this work, Paul Johnson has taken a relatively small and unknown event and used it to illustrate not only an interesting event but also an interesting perspective on the Burned-Over District as a whole. It touches on everything from sexual corruption to radical doctrinal innovations. The Burned-Over district saw the beginning of numerous religious movements such as Mormonism, Adventism, Christian Scientists, numerous smaller religions that did not survive, and even significant political movements such as Antimasonry.

This book is the story of one of those movements. The prologue introduces Matthias as he went to Kirtland to visit with the Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith. While this event occurred near the end of Matthias’ activity, it is obvious that he stole many of his ideas from Joseph Smith. Matthias initiated the practice of the washing of feet which was common to both the followers of Joseph Smith and Ellen White. He also believed that the truth of the Gospel had fallen from the earth shortly after the time of Christ another Mormon belief. In addition, he had a sword which he claimed was ancient similar to Smith’s sword of Laban, as well as naming the Priesthood after the order of Melchezidek. Likewise, his early mentor Mordecai Noah taught that the Indians were actually a branch of the Israelites which is a central idea found in the Book of Mormon. All of these ideas came out before 1830 when Matthias began his activity.

The most humorous part of this history is the anecdotes that relate to Matthias’ enemies trying to shave off his beard. Johnson has done an excellent job condensing all the most relevant information in this short work. The Kingdom of Matthias is an enjoyable read and a must for anyone interested in this interesting period in American religious history.

Wondering About Christianity.......2001-06-08

I did too. I read this book with an amazement on how basic Bible priniples can me misused to the detriment of oneself and others around them. Please read this book to understand the confusion that enslaves so many Christians. If you truly seeking God, you that they way they tried to find it in this book is not the way to find him.

Brilliant!.......2000-04-03

This is one of the exquisite books that I have read about this time. And to the writer "Orrin Judd", how dare you be such a anti-intellectual dunce? Just by holding on to the case of the Lewinsky/Clinton trial (which by the way Wilentz and Berman wrote before this happened) and other inane right-winged republican comments, if they are even worty of any name other than trash. They remark on this book as something it is far from being, a peice of garbage that can merely be thrown away as litter. As for the book itself, this is a masterpeice with pen and ink, wonderfully capturing the era. It goes behind the mind of this engrossing man and period, and includes people, such as Soujourner Truth, that were known later on, after the period the book was written. It just so awefully captures all the details and facts behind this, but still making it enjoyable. I reccomend this book highly, and give it 5 out of 5 stars. And to any creep, such as Orrin Judd, who thinks otherwise, then just consider this book one more time, the brilliance of it and the fabulous authors (Paul Berman and Sean Wilentz) who made the making of this book possible.

Extraordinary.......2000-03-20

One of the best books I've ever read about American history. THIS SHOULD BE A MOVIE!

Average customer rating:

Short and very readable book , but quite illuminating
An incredible biography
SOJOURNER TRUTH A LIFE A SYMBOL
A Nearly Perfect Book
Sojourner Truth?

Sojourner Truth: A Life, a Symbol
Nell Irvin Painter
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393317080

Amazon.com

Though she was born into slavery and subjected to physical and sexual abuse by her owners, Sojourner Truth, who eventually fled the South for the promise of the North, came to represent the power of individual strength and perseverance. She championed the disadvantaged--black in the South, women in the North--yet spent much of her free life with middle-class whites, who supported her, yet never failed to remind her that she was a second class citizen. Slowly, but surely, Sojourner climbed from beneath the weight of slavery, secured respect for herself, and utilized the distinction of her race to become not only a symbol for black women, but for the feminist movement as a whole.

Book Description

Sojourner Truth--ex-slave and fiery abolitionist of the mid-nineteenth century, a figure of imposing physique, riveting preacher, and spellbinding singer who dazzled listeners with her wit and originality. Straight-talking and unsentimental, Truth became an early national symbol for strong black women--indeed, for all strong women. Like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, she is regarded as a radical of immense and enduring influence; yet, unlike them, what is remembered of her consists more of myth than of personality. Now in a masterful blend of scholarship and sympathetic understanding, eminent black historian Nell Irvin Painter goes beyond the myths, words, and photographs to uncover the life of a complex woman who was born into slavery and died a legend.

Customer Reviews:

Short and very readable book , but quite illuminating.......2007-02-23

For some reason, most Americans know, or think they know, quite a bit about the Civil War. But somehow the decades before the great drama of the 1860's are little known to most of us. It's almost as if everything between the Revolutionary War and the American Civil War happened under a cloud or in some shadowed universe that sends out very few signals to modern Americans. In reality, the country went through a time of near-chaos as competing political and religious movements battled for the minds and hearts of the American public.

Sojourner Truth, the subject of this biography, experienced a good bit of this social ferment, and the story of her life gives readers a good opportunity to get a grip on this very strange and fascinating period. The author starts with the odd fact that the name and face of Sojourner Truth became very well-known, yet the real story of her life was obscured by her status as a symbol of the Abolitionist movement. The real woman led a surpringly adventurous life, and she did it in the context of a society that supposedly kept slaves, women and rural poor people firmly in their pre-ordained place. The story of how a courageous girl named Katherine, born in slavery and poverty on a Dutch farm in rural New York state, became the free woman and independent thinker called Sojourner Truth, is worth reading for its own sake. But the book also sheds light on the wild side of American religious and intellectual life during her lifetime. While reading this book, I felt like I was really getting two books in one-I highly recommend this book!!

An incredible biography.......2003-11-10

Painter's biography is excellent. She puts Truth in perspective with the challenges of her time. She sheds light on complicated relationships with noteable Abolishionists and with her own children. This book clearly presents the difficult life of one incredible woman who struggles to do her part to free all slaves, gain respect as a woman and be accepted as a human being.

SOJOURNER TRUTH A LIFE A SYMBOL.......2002-10-31

I THINK THIS BOOK IS VERY EDUCATIONAL. I REALLY ENJOYED READING IT. I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT TRUTH. PAINTER WAS A WONDERFUL WRITER. SHE DESCRIBED EVERYTHING TO THE MAX.

A Nearly Perfect Book.......2000-07-24

When I read a book, I want to get a lot out of it, as I enjoy the reading of it. On the second point: this book is engagingly written. The author questions her own motives and information as she constructs a biography of a difficult life to document. We see Painter confront the challenges of performing biography. I found it a compelling literary device. On the first point, the book mixes biography with history and feminist criticism. This interdisciplinary focus produces a highly inviting book. Among other topics, we find out about the details of slavery in the North, 19th century religious cults, and the ways in which feminists and abolitionists of the time exploited Truth for their own gain, as well as how this appropriation of "Truth" continues to the present. On this point, we learn much about contemporary feminism and culture and its need for heroes-especially African American female heroes.

Sojourner Truth?.......2000-03-24

Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol undertakes an interesting challenge as historian Nell Irvin Painter attempts to produce a "historically accurate" biography of a subject that left little evidence of her life. Moreover, Painter takes on another interesting challenge by attempting to analyze the meaning of Sojourner Truth the symbol-a task that requires her to analyze the layers of evidence produced by those who did document Sojourner Truth's life. Is she successful at producing a historically "accurate" biography? Does she successfully "peel back the myth and the legend" in the evidence left by those who documented Truth's life?

I think Painter is somewhat successful at presenting a historically accurate biography. I say somewhat because, on the one hand, she presents compelling evidence assembled from primary sources that document Truth's life-newspaper accounts, monographs, etc. And she obviously has a thorough command of the secondary sources related to Sojourner Truth. What is more, I think that her methodology-what she calls "more or less uncommon research methods"-allows her to reconstruct a version of Truth's life as best as possible. Assembling the pieces of an immense jigsaw puzzle such as this requires great patience and historical skill, both of which Painter exhibits in this work.

On the other hand, her command of the supporting sources, the sources that provide context for her analysis of the primary sources, is a little less complete. For example, as Painter acknowledges, religion-popular religion-is central to understanding American culture. And I think that in this case, one must have a thorough understanding of religion and the Bible to effectively document Truth's life. However, Painter makes at least one glaring mistake in her narrative when she conflates the stories of Lazarus the beggar, and Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha (p. 127). Painter makes this fundamental error in her analysis of Truth's speech in an apparent attempt to interject an element of "class consciousness" into Truth's abolitionist-feminist discourse. Jesus did not resurrect Lazarus the beggar. Jesus resurrected Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha, a well-respected and influential patron (the Lazarus to whom Truth refers). Does a gaff such as this mortally wound the entire analysis? Probably not. But, in a book that so heavily relies on "imaginative methods" and "unknowns," it is probably a good idea to have command of the "knowns"-in this case the New Testament.

This analytical error also points to problems in answering the question concerning whether Painter succeeds in "peeling back the myth and legend." Persons who produced the majority of the evidence that Painter uses had a vested interest in Truth the symbol, which eventually led to the perpetuation of myth and legend. Truth is often used to advance causes such as abolitionism and feminism. And while Painter dismisses those who have used Truth the symbol and perpetuated myth and legend, she is left with little without this evidence. In the end Painter concedes that one can not separate the symbol and the person without destroying the "cultural significance" of Sojourner Truth. Cultural significance trumps historical accuracy in the final chapter. And paradoxically, it appears Painter falls into the same trap as her predecessors as she "peels back" the myth and legend. Her analysis on pages 126 and 127 (and in other places throughout the book) strongly suggests that she is adding her own layers and doing to Sojourner Truth, what others-the ones she dismisses-have done.

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