Sojourner Truth

Olive Gilbert

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.

Narrative of Sojourner Truth

Truth's landmark slave narrative chronicles her experiences as a slave in upstate New York and her transformation into an extraordinary abolitionist, feminist, orator, and preacher. Based on the complete 1884 edition, this volume includes the "Book of Life," a collection of letters and sketches about Truth's life written subsequent to the original 1850 publication of the Narrative, and "A Memorial Chapter," a sentimental account of her death. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Erin Darlyn

This spunky, resilient woman faced a lot of horrific circumstances and did some extraordinary things. Well worth the read, though it should be noted that the work is not actually autobiographical.

Dana Kraft

I enjoy reading historical source material and this mostly delivers in providing a good sense of what life was like at the time boy from the direct descriptions and from the other references that a reader at that time would take for granted.

Narrative of Sojourner Truth is one of the most important documents of slavery ever written, as well as being a partial autobiography of the woman who became a pioneer in the struggles for racial and sexual equality. With an eloquence that resonates more than a century after its original publication in 1850, the narrative bears witness to Sojourner Truth's thirty years of bondage in upstate New York and to the mystical revelations that turned her into a passionate and indefatigable abolitionist. In this new edition, which has been edited and extensively annotated by the distinguished scholar and biographer of Sojourner Truth, Margaret Washington, Truth's testimony takes on added dimensions: as a lens into the little-known world of northern slavery; as a chronicle of spiritual conversion; and as an inspiring account of a black woman striving for personal and political empowerment.

Grace Frost

Loved the introduction by historian Nell Irvin Painter, but did not like Olive Gilbert's commentary as she was recording Sojourner Truth's words.

Jeni Enjaian

If you want to learn about Sojourner Truth, pick another book. The initial narrative is smooth but lacks clear definition on a number of important fronts like historical actors and chronology. Much of the book is highly propagandistic, especially religiously, although such a fact is typical of works of the era. The second half makes very little sense. It is a seemingly random compilation of anecdotes, personal letters and notes among other odd items, none of which are arranged chronologically. The author also indulges in a bit of "native speak" aka writing out how Sojourner Truth supposedly sounded. I find that particularly annoying because it lends more difficulty to the text than necessary. 

If you are interested in reading the classics, by all means, read this book. Otherwise, avoid it.

Narrative of Sojourner Truth

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