Hallelujah Anyhow! A Memoir

Harris, who is now retired but was the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion, unveils the life under the robe in this brief account of her childhood, career, and ordination. In a series of interviews conducted by Episcopal priest Douglas and essays, Harris describes the tapestry of experiences that came to define her as a bishop. She marched on Selma with Martin Luther King Jr. and fought for equality and justice during her time within the Anglican Communion. A descendant of slaves and raised in a matriarchal family in Philadelphia, she gained a strong sense of self from her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She recalls her mother teaching her perseverance by refusing to let her transfer away from her prestigious, prejudiced high school in order to attend “somewhere she was wanted and respected.” Though Harris says she pushed through and grew stronger “in the face of discrimination,” she doesn’t believe her mother’s approach was correct. However, she believes her difficult upbringing did prepare her to be an outsider as she navigated the Anglican Communion and helped her with other challenges, such as organizing for equality during the civil rights movement. Harris’s enthralling book is a moving account of her trials and triumphs. (Sept.)