Narrative of Sojourner Truth

First published in 1850, 'Narrative of Sojourner Truth' offers a rare peek into the little-documented world of Northern slavery by Sojourner Truth, an American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Born into slavery in 1797, Truth fled from bondage some 30 years later to become an influential figure in the progressive movements reshaping American society. Truth narrates her life as a slave in rural New York, her separation from her family, her religious conversion, and her life as a traveling preacher during the 1840s. She also relates her work as a social reformer, counsellor of former slaves, and sponsor of black migration to the West. A captivating orator and implacable visionary, Truth fascinated audiences with her tales of life in bondage and with her moving renditions of Methodist hymns and her own songs. Frederick Douglass described her message as a "e;Strange compound of wit and wisdom, of wild enthusiasm, and flint-like common sense."e;