This Far by Faith: Stories from the African American Religious Experience
Juan Williams, Quinton Hosford Dixie, Quinton DixieBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
A companion to the PBS series, This Far by Faith isthe story of how religious faith inspired the greatest social movementin American history — the U.S. Civil Rights movement.
Hailed upon publication as a beautiful, seminal book on the role of the church in the African American community as well as on the social history of America, This Far by Faith reveals the deep religious conviction that empowered a people viewed as powerless to blaze a path to freedom and deliverance, to stand and be counted in this one nation under God. Here are the stories of politics, tent revivals, and the importance of black churches as touchstones for every step of the faith journey that became the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Using archival and contemporary photography, historical research, and modern-day interviews, This Far by Faith features messages from some of today's foremost religious leaders.
Synopsis
A companion to the PBS series, This Far by Faith isthe story of how religious faith inspired the greatest social movementin American history — the U.S. Civil Rights movement.
Hailed upon publication as a beautiful, seminal book on the role of the church in the African American community as well as on the social history of America, This Far by Faith reveals the deep religious conviction that empowered a people viewed as powerless to blaze a path to freedom and deliverance, to stand and be counted in this one nation under God. Here are the stories of politics, tent revivals, and the importance of black churches as touchstones for every step of the faith journey that became the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Using archival and contemporary photography, historical research, and modern-day interviews, This Far by Faith features messages from some of today's foremost religious leaders.
Publishers Weekly
Williams, who wrote the companion volume to the award-winning PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize, and Dixie, an Indiana University professor, offer a well-illustrated companion volume to the upcoming PBS series "This Far by Faith." They follow the traditional contours of other studies of African-American religious history, beginning with slavery and following the tale through the emergence of free black churches; the nadir of the late 19th century; the Great Migration; the rise of black nationalism and urban religious traditions in the early 20th century; the civil rights movement; and the embrace of alternative religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and the Five Percenters in the 1970s through the 1990s. One particularly interesting segment discusses those mid-20th century black Christian leaders who adopted conservative stances on integration; Williams and Dixie have done a great service by presenting these ministers' views alongside the more familiar stories of civil rights leaders, demonstrating the ideological diversity of the African-American church. At times, the book's writing style can be abrupt and jerky, switching from one historical figure to the next, or between different cities, without transitions to help the reader. The prose is also overburdened with romantic language about heroes who laid their all at the altar of sacrifice, etc.-a device that may work well over six separate installments of a television series, but quickly becomes redundant in print. The real strength here is not the writing but the 76 memorable photographs and illustrations, which powerfully attest to the courage and religious convictions of generations of African Americans. (Feb.) Forecast: In the 1980s, the companion volume to the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize sold more than 200,000 copies. This book should also enjoy strong sales, especially during and after June, when the six-part documentary will be broadcast on many of the nation's 349 PBS stations.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
This companion book to a six-part PBS series will appeal to anyone interested in African-American spirituality. Like the series, this handsome pictorial emphasizes the adversity that black American worshippers have confronted, and it celebrates the strong tradition of music and dance within African-American religious practice.Philadelphia Tribune
"This Far by Faith is an important and powerful contribution to the historical archives of this country."Booklist
"[An] enlightening book."Choice
"A learned, well-illustrated volume."New York Times Book Review
"Fascinating."Boston Globe
"[This Far by Faith] skillfully combines written and oral sources with historical narrative."Black Issues Book Review
"This Far by Faith will go a long way in preserving stories about a significant aspect of our lives."Christian Science Monitor
"This Far by Faith is a must-read."Choice
“A learned, well-illustrated volume.”Booklist
“[An] enlightening book.”Boston Globe
“[This Far by Faith] skillfully combines written and oral sources with historical narrative.”New York Times Book Review
“Fascinating.”Christian Science Monitor
“This Far by Faith is a must-read.”Philadelphia Tribune
“This Far by Faith is an important and powerful contribution to the historical archives of this country.”Black Issues Book Review
“This Far by Faith will go a long way in preserving stories about a significant aspect of our lives.”Publishers Weekly
Williams, who wrote the companion volume to the award-winning PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize, and Dixie, an Indiana University professor, offer a well-illustrated companion volume to the upcoming PBS series "This Far by Faith." They follow the traditional contours of other studies of African-American religious history, beginning with slavery and following the tale through the emergence of free black churches; the nadir of the late 19th century; the Great Migration; the rise of black nationalism and urban religious traditions in the early 20th century; the civil rights movement; and the embrace of alternative religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and the Five Percenters in the 1970s through the 1990s. One particularly interesting segment discusses those mid-20th century black Christian leaders who adopted conservative stances on integration; Williams and Dixie have done a great service by presenting these ministers' views alongside the more familiar stories of civil rights leaders, demonstrating the ideological diversity of the African-American church. At times, the book's writing style can be abrupt and jerky, switching from one historical figure to the next, or between different cities, without transitions to help the reader. The prose is also overburdened with romantic language about heroes who laid their all at the altar of sacrifice, etc.-a device that may work well over six separate installments of a television series, but quickly becomes redundant in print. The real strength here is not the writing but the 76 memorable photographs and illustrations, which powerfully attest to the courage and religious convictions of generations of African Americans. (Feb.) Forecast: In the 1980s, the companion volume to the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize sold more than 200,000 copies. This book should also enjoy strong sales, especially during and after June, when the six-part documentary will be broadcast on many of the nation's 349 PBS stations.VOYA
In their companion volume to the PBS series This Far by Faith, Williams and Dixie document the African American religious experience and its impact on society. From slave leader Denmark Vesey, with his emphasis on the Old Testament, to Kirk Franklin and his modern-day "brand of hip-hop Christianity," these prominent figures come alive for the reader through photographs and firsthand accounts. The subject is managed in the format of eleven chapters. Each chapter covers a milestone in the religious development of the community and features biographies of the leaders of that movement. The separation of black Christians from white churches to create the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the National Baptist Convention is the focus of earlier chapters. Differing approaches to social change offered by Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam-"It is not possible to love a man whose chief purpose in life is to humiliate you and still be considered a normal human being"-and Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference-"I believe that love is a transforming power that can lift a whole community to new horizons of fair play, good will, and justice"-are the strengths of later chapters. Interspersed within all chapters are inserts dealing with subtopics such as "The Music of Protest." Although the amount of information contained in this book might be daunting for students, the readable narrative and the pictures and illustrations that enhance the text make it a valuable addition for high school libraries. Index. Illus. Photos. Source Notes. VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to12; Adult and Young Adult). 2003, HarperCollins, 336p,— Christine Sanderson