Historian Washington (“A Peculiar People”
) offers an exhaustive if tiresome biography of Truth (1797–1883), rendering her many transformations with scholarly diligence. The familiar story is told—Truth’s life as a slave, her 12-mile walk to freedom with her infant daughter, her successful suit to retrieve her son, her spiritual calling and her growing involvement as an antislavery and woman’s rights advocate. Washington is particularly fresh in delineating the African-Dutch world of Truth’s early years, and noteworthy in her alertness to African as well as European influence in her life (“Either Jehovah has answered her prayers or Nzambi had brought kindoki”). “This book,” Washington acknowledges, “was such a long time in the making,” and, alas, much of what went into the making flattens the book under its own weight. Background information buries Truth under encyclopedic and wearying detail about her associates, involvements and causes. Nevertheless, this biography is admirable in its thoroughness and in Washington’s commitment to her subject and is well worth consulting. Photos. (Apr.)
