The Narrative of Sojourner Truth

BySojourner Truth

Release Date: 2021-06-30
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs

Score: 4

From 112 Ratings

Description

An Apple Books Classic edition.

The Narrative of Sojourner Truth was first published in 1850—a dozen years before the Emancipation Proclamation. At the time, this rare, first-person account of the horrors of slavery was a revelation for readers. Truth’s unsentimental descriptions of her experiences, including the beatings she suffered and the time her toddler-aged brother hid under a bed when he learned he’d been sold from his parents, forced people to contemplate Truth’s simple, penetrating question: “What a way is this of treating human beings?”

The book goes on to chronicle Truth’s trailblazing life. After she escaped enslavement, she toured the country, speaking to abolitionists and calling out those that didn’t include women’s rights in their fight for equality. Truth successfully sued a white man for her son’s freedom, escaped persecution from a cult, and, long before Rosa Parks took her famous bus ride, climbed aboard a whites-only streetcar. Sojourner Truth was born an enslaved person, but she died a freedom fighter. Her story deserves to be read, shared, and absorbed.

Reviews

A Journey of Spirit
4
By jesterjace
In the past week I have read this book and two others on the topic of slavery in the United States. This one was the hardest to keep track of family members and friends of the protagonist. It was not written by Isabela (Sojourner) though which may be the problem. If you decide to read this book I would advise to read the Narrative of Frederick Douglass first, this book, and then ‘Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl’ so that you have the chronology right. As the US laws on slaves and runaway slaves evolve you will see how the slaves have to adapt their escape plans.

I find Isabela’s story disturbing, of course, but also a near 180-degree difference to the one told by Linda in ‘Incidents…’. Linda doesn’t accept her lot in life as a slave at all and always puts her children first when thinking of escaping. Isabela can barely remember the kids she has and deals with her slavery in an almost automaton, religious fervor, at one point nearly saying that slavery is just one of those things you have to deal with.

I believe that if she had the ability to read and write, and found the time to write a book herself (or at least letters and journal entries after she was free), that this would be an easier book to read and would make more sense. As it stands, this book is harder to understand than the other two. Still, the topic and story are very interesting and Sojourner is an extremely gentle, generous, and amiable person. I’m glad I got to know her through this narrative.
Disappointed
2
By Personwithabaseball
Disjointed and a good deal written about her religious beliefs.
Sojourner Truth
5
By BellaOfTheShire
Later in life, Sojourner Truth changed her given name and dictated some details from her life to enlighten others, which became this book. Her given name was Isabella. She was born a slave. She struggled to overcome. And we can learn to be better humans by understanding her experience of some of the worst aspects of the human condition.

I would be lying if I didn't say parts of this book made me cry, tore at my heart, and made me feel shame to be human, but that can be expected of any book detailing how humans treat each other when we think we are somehow better than each other.
Heartbreaking firsthand accounts of slavery
3
By jsg j
A heartbreaking look into a life of slavery. The accounts and stories are gut wrenching.
Halfway through the book, the writer focused on Isabelle’s / Soujourner’s journey with religion. I personally found it drag on and a bit borning, though it is a part of the subject’s story.
Insightful book

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