We Will Be Free: The Life and Faith of Sojourner Truth

In this edifying biography, historian Koester (Harriet Beecher Stowe) explores the life of abolitionist Sojourner Truth and the faith that shaped her. Born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 New York State, she was legally enslaved until 1827, though a sympathetic couple, the Van Wagenens, bought and effectively “freed” her in 1825. The devoutly religious family helped galvanize Isabella’s faith: “do not call me Master, for there is but one master, and he who is your master is my master,” Van Wagenen said to her, leading Isabella to understand the idea of a “God of justice.” Soon after, Isabella had a vision of Christ and felt such powerful “waves of love” that she decided to become a preacher, which brought her to New York City. Years later, when she left for Massachusetts, she renamed herself Sojourner, as she was “free to go wherever God’s spirit called.” For the rest of her days Sojourner “lived into her name,” and Koester guides readers through her alliances with Elijah Pierson and Frederick Douglass, the publication of her autobiography, and her role in the early women’s rights movement. Koester brings Truth alive in meticulous detail, carefully situating her within her era to underline the revolutionary—and eminently relevant—nature of her thought. Social justice-minded readers will want to take a look. (Feb.)