Sojourner Truth, A Self-Made Woman

by Victoria Ortiz

A brief biography of the northern slave who after gaining her freedom became the first black woman to give antislavery lectures in the United States.

Genres: Biography

157 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1986

About the author

Victoria Ortiz graduated from Barnard College and the City University of New York Law School. She has worked as a high school teacher, as a college teacher, as an attorney, and as dean of students at several law schools. Her published work includes Spanish for Lawyers (2012), a unique manual for law students and lawyers who need to discuss legal matters in this useful language. Now retired, Ms. Ortiz lives in the Bay Area with her wife.

Reviews

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Important. Inspiring. Informative. Transformational. This book is a must-read. For everyone. The author does a great job of providing context as well as the life history of her subject. It is a short book with small pages and a number of photos so it's an overview rather than an in-depth report of Sojourner Truth's life but it seems to hit many main points. I imagine it would inspire many readers to seek out more books in order to continue learning details about this courageous, driven, selfless & devout woman. Wow. My favorite book so far this year I think.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the outset I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book as it is dense, spends a lot of time focused on religion, and lacks any citations. It was published in 1979 so I realized I had to read it with the expectations of the time in mind. Sadly, I never learned about Sojourner Truth when I was in school. I knew only that she was an enslaved woman. This book is short in length but dense with history detailing the remarkable life of such a steadfast woman ahead of her time. I was surprised to learn of her campaigns for racial equity and women's suffrage, and even more impressed that she was so well-spoken and convincing to gain the agreement and support of so many powerful people. She was an exemplary advocate for freedom, reparations, equity, and temperance. Despite the age of this book, I think it's one that should be taught in schools today, and definitely one that adults should be reading.
Would strongly recommend

[Tori Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally got this book from my library instead of Truth’s Narrative because the book was labeled wrong. I was already back home and disappointed but decided to give it a try even though I didn’t think I was interested in a biography written by someone else. I actually enjoyed most of it… I think there was a reason I was given this first by mistake. I learned a lot about her and history at the time that will probably be helpful now as I read her narrative next! I also really enjoyed learning about her faith and her not being shy to bring God into her conversations!

[Carl Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biography of Isabella, a slave who changed her name to Sojourner Truth when she became free at age 30. She chose her new name because of a commitment to travel and tell the truth about slavery. A Martin Luther King of her day.

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