Overview
Sojourner Truth had a tough childhood. She was born a slave, and many of the families she worked for treated her poorly. But when she was finally freed, Sojourner used her life to teach others about women's rights and the power of freedom.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
One title in Simon & Schuster's "Ready-to-Read" nonfiction series, this early chapter book teaches readers about the enslaved childhood and free adult life of Isabella Baumfree, who later changed her name to Sojourner Truth. The story stresses the impact on this young child of being sold multiple times to different masters and being abused physically and mentally by most of them. When a change in the law made all New York slaves free, Isabella changed her name to Soujourner Truth to reflect her intention to travel all over the country and tell the truth everywhere she went. Not being allowed to go to school or to learn to read as a child, Isabella remained illiterate her whole life, though that did not stop her from proclaiming her message of equality for blacks and women; it did not even stop her from writing a book about her life. Merchant tells of Truth meeting Frederick Douglass, as well as her famous "Ar'n't I a woman?" speech to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention. There is nothing remarkable about Julia Denos's illustrations, rendered primarily in earth tones, but they do help to tell the story of "the Libyan Sibyl."School Library Journal
Gr 3-5 - The life of Isabella Baumfree, the woman who became Sojourner Truth, is told with dignity and respect, accompanied by Denos's color illustrations. As a former slave turned traveling preacher, Truth was an advocate for the rights of blacks and women. The author gives an overview of slavery, including the fact that it was legal in the North as well as the South. He mentions when exact dates and facts are unknown, and points out that the famous phrase attributed to Truth, "Ar'n't I a woman?" probably was not actually spoken by her. A time line with descriptions of events complements the biography.-Farida S. Dowler, Mercer Island Library, WA
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