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Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol Paperback – October 17, 1997

by Nell Irvin Painter (Author)

4.7 198 ratings

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A monumental biography of one of the most important black women of the nineteenth century.

Sojourner Truth: ex-slave and fiery abolitionist, figure of imposing physique, riveting preacher and spellbinding singer who dazzled listeners with her wit and originality. Straight-talking and unsentimental, Truth became a national symbol for strong black women―indeed, for all strong women. Like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, she is regarded as a radical of immense and enduring influence; yet, unlike them, what is remembered of her consists more of myth than of personality.

Now, in a masterful blend of scholarship and sympathetic understanding, eminent black historian Nell Irvin Painter goes beyond the myths, words, and photographs to uncover the life of a complex woman who was born into slavery and died a legend. Inspired by religion, Truth transformed herself from a domestic servant named Isabella into an itinerant pentecostal preacher; her words of empowerment have inspired black women and poor people the world over to this day. As an abolitionist and a feminist, Truth defied the notion that slaves were male and women were white, expounding a fact that still bears repeating: among blacks there are women; among women, there are blacks.

No one who heard her speak ever forgot Sojourner Truth, the power and pathos of her voice, and the intelligence of her message. No one who reads Painter's groundbreaking biography will forget this landmark figure and the story of her courageous life.

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Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

October 17, 1997
Dimensions

5.6 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
ISBN-10

0393317080
ISBN-13

978-0393317084
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A pathbreaking biography. It should command the widest popular attention and profound scholarly attention. -- David Levering Lewis, author of W. E. B. Du Bois: A Biography of a Race

An exquisitely detailed study of a brilliant and powerful life. -- Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, San Francisco Chronicle

Painter's portrait of Truth is a triumph of scholarly maturity, imagination, and narrative art. -- Arnold Rampersad

What Painter does as a first-rate historian is peel away the myths and legends so that we might get at a historical Sojourner Truth. . . . A judicious and balanced biography. -- Gerard Early, Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Nell Irvin Painter is the award-winning author of many books, including Standing at Armageddon and The History of White People. She is the Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita, at Princeton University and lives in East Orange, New Jersey, and the Adirondacks.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (October 17, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393317080
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393317084
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.6 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #125,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #538 in Black & African American Biographies
- #1,007 in United States Biographies
- #1,518 in Women's Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.7 198 ratings

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Nell Irvin Painter

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Nell Irvin Painter is the award-winning author of many books, including Sojourner Truth, Southern History Across the Color Line, Creating Black Americans, The History of White People, and Standing at Armageddon. She is currently the Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita, at Princeton University and lives in Newark, New Jersey.

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4.7 out of 5

198 global ratings

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Katherine Spada Basto

A Comprehensive View of a Long and Amazing Life!

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2019

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This was an outstanding book that thoroughly covered the long life of Sojourner Truth. Part academic chronicle, part narrative, the author dispels many of the myths regarding the legend we know as Sojourner Truth. Nell Irwin Painter tries to portray her in an honest fashion.
Who was Sojourner Truth? Born a northern slave in Ulster Co, New York to Dutch slave owners, Painter takes us on the roller coaster life of Truth. Sold and then finally free, Isabella(her given name) began her search for the truth through many different spiritual experiences and many moves in her lifetime. She was not without her scars of course; losing her family of origin early on, losing her son, regaining him only to lose him again would have broken anyone down. Not Sojourner, who kept searching, going forth and making a difference during this tumultuous time in our history.
She dabbled in Spiritualism, became involved with the Cult of Brother Matthias, and received her gifts from "The Holy Spirit" telling her to "Go East."
Sojourner seemed to experience and was involved with all the important people of her day; the abolitionists, the suffragettes, so called "prophets" and made a difference with her eloquence and stately presence.
It's clear as Painter writes that however academic one can try to be regarding Sojourner, we as a people tend to want to see her as a legend, a myth that's larger in proportion than perhaps the truth indicates. Painter comes to peace with this at the end of the book. Regardless of the fact Sojourner never said, "Arn't I a Woman?" the book blends the true and the false and was extremely well-written.

10 people found this helpful

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DMCWriter

Very good book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2021

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This book was an excellent account on the life of Sojourner Truth. I remember reading her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech in school, not realizing that, as I discovered in this book, her words had not only been changed but possibly fabricated. Still, as the author points out, we need Truth — the symbol, the Libyan Sybil — as a representation of not only a strong black woman who pulled herself out of slavery and survived independent of government assistance, but as a strong woman fighting oppression and speaking out against injustice. Her cry “Frederick, is God dead?” sent a shockwave through the crowd then and still does today in Truth’s call for spiritual fortitude. I am grateful I read this book. I learned a lot about Sojourner Truth and her marvelous life. She was often misquoted and writers got a lot wrong about her, but what we got right ensures her place in history and keeps her as an historical figure we should continue to teach our children about in schools.

3 people found this helpful

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A. M. Fasick

Telling the truth about Sojourner Truth

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2019

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This biography was an eye-opener for me. Painter gives a vivid picture of what life must have been like for a Black woman during the early 19th century. Sojourner Truth was was born a slave in upstate NY, but was only about 30 years old when slavery was abolished in the state. She didn't really have to escape from slavery, she just walked off the estate where she had been enslaved. Her former owner knew where she was and the two were fairly friendly for several years. She became devoutly religious and most of her abolition and women's rights' work was done in the context of religion. But her story was always told by white women, who shaped her narrative to suit their purposes--giving her a Southern accent and implying that she had escaped heroically from a plantation. No one recorded her private life, and her children never became part of the group that fawned over Sojourner. They disappeared from history and apparently died in poverty as her husband did. Because she remained illiterate all her life, she left no record of what she thought or believed. We never see the world through her eyes. Painter has done a remaarkable service by rescuing her from the myth that her life eventually became.

7 people found this helpful

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C. Medine

Strong Biography

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2014

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This is not my favorite biography of Sojourner Truth. Painter has some issues with Truth's being uneducated and kind of a rural figure that white nineteenth century thinkers could accept--in contrast to, say, Maria Stewart. But, the idea that Truth was a symbol is exactly right: she was a figure who was so needed for the anti-slavery and feminist movements: plain-spoken. I enjoyed the book

3 people found this helpful

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Steven D. Livengood

Reality and symbol

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2009

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Painter makes unique recognition of the fact that Sojourner Truth was a self-created identity, and approaches her story through many layers: what do we know? We cannot know as much about Sojourner Truth as we can about other historic figures because Sojourner herself was illiterate. A unique figure -- an orator of historic power, but unable to write or in other ways preserve her own words. All that we can know is what other people wrote or quoted. Yet the written sources disagree: they quote her in black dialect that witnesses say she did not use! People hailed her as a uniquely talented African-born slave, when in fact she was born in New York speaking Dutch as her first language. She lived among African Americans only for short periods late in her life. Her own posed and widely-distributed photographs show only her black skin to differentiate her from any other middle-class matron.

So what is truth? Who is Truth? Is this person Isabella Van Wagenen, or is she really the myth she created. Painter recognizes these layers and sorts out Truth from myth and truth from reality, without concluding that one is more important than the other. Very well done.

10 people found this helpful

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Zora

Sojourner Truth

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

I'm glad that I picked this biography between another of Nell Irvin Painters biography of Sojourner Truth. Painter has certainly done her history and research on Sojourner to create this wonderful insightful biography. I am also reading Harriet Tubman's biography and am finding similarities between her biography and Sojourners since they are both portrayed as masculine and take action as apart of fighting a cause. Both were poor but have become iconic figures within American history. This is a great enlightening read about Sojourner shedding light on relatively unknown aspects of her life and that of her children. Great historical read very insightful for anyone interested in such an iconic figure. Definitely read if you are interested, and its at a great low price.

2 people found this helpful

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andon petrossians fred

Excellent

Reviewed in France on April 18, 2023

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Une autrice super intelligente qui sait comment expliquer un parcours exceptionel

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Deborah

A Valuable Contribution

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

Nell Irvin Painter's dedication to bringing Sojourner Truth to life rings clear on every page. It is also worth watching her interview in which she discusses the book, as that is engrossing too. Beautiful writing and a valuable addition on the bookshelf of anyone interested in this period of history.

One person found this helpful

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