Reviews for Enquiries Touching the Diversity of Languages and Religious, Through the Chief Parts of the ...

The average rating for Enquiries Touching the Diversity of Languages and Religious, Through the Chief Parts of the ... based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-05-12 00:00:00 Matthew Stowers Sometimes reading a book isn’t about pleasure, but rather a way to show respect for someone life, struggle or ideas. Sojourner Truth deserves to have her story read. She was a bold woman who lived with fearless integrity. Sojourner Truth's life is very interesting, but that is about the only thing that I enjoyed about this book. I didn’t like Gilbert’s constant interjections. I have a children’s bible written in this style (which by the way I love). Gilbert presents a situation and then she adds in a personal commentary something like: “imagine how you would feel if this had happened to you.” Instead of depending on her ability to paint the picture through her words and trust her audience, she chooses to tell the reader explicitly what to think. While that style might be fine for kids, it is disrespectful to an adult reader. If she wants to lead me around by the nose, she needs to use a little more finesse. This is really a two star book, in my opinion, but I am giving it three, because I don’t want to discourage anyone from picking it up. Though this is far from Sojourner Truth's own words it is probably the closest we can get.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-08-05 00:00:00 Steve Smith This is definitely worth the short time it takes to read, even with its limitations and controversies, as it is one of the few narratives of slavery in the North. Isabella Baumfree was born in Ulster County, New York ca. 1797, her slave name including the last name of her Dutch owners. This narrative tells of her life with this family and several successive owners, her escape from slavery in 1827, her successful lawsuit against the white owner who had illegally sold her son, her early engagement with several Christian denominations and sects, her decision to change her name to Sojourner Truth in 1843, and emergence as a well-known abolitionist and women's rights activist and speaker. This original narrative was published in 1850 and, therefore, doesn't cover the remaining more than three decades of Sojourner's activism before her death in 1883 in her home in Battle Creek, Michigan. The narrative is also problematic because of the intrusiveness of the editorial comments of Olive Gilbert, Sojourner's friend, to whom she dictated her story, being unable to read or write herself. Read this Duke University Library blog posting for an interesting take on the authorship of the narrative: Read this and you may decide to tackle one of the many more comprehensive biographies of this remarkable woman.