My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth

by Ann Turner, James Ransome (Illustrator)

Overview

The remarkable true story of how former slave Isabella Baumfree transformed herself into the preacher and orator Sojourner Truth, an iconic figure of the abolitionist and women's rights movements.

Written in the fiery and eloquent voice of Sojourner Truth herself, My Name Is Truth will captivate readers just as Sojourner's passionate words enthralled her listeners.

The text by acclaimed author Ann Turner and the paintings from award-winning illustrator James Ransome underwent expert review by two historians of the period.

This beautifully illustrated and impeccably researched picture book biography includes a detailed historical note and a list of suggested supplemental reading materials.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060758998
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/20/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.10(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Ann Turner is the author of many novels, picture books, and poetry collections for young children. Her novel A Hunter Comes Home was an ALA Notable Children's Book, and her first picture book, Dakota Dugout, received the same honor. Among her other books are Abe Lincoln Remembers, an NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies, a Reading Rainbow selection. Ms. Turner lives in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, with her family.

James Ransome has illustrated more than fifty books for children. His titles include The Creation by James Weldon Johnson, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; Uncle Jed’s Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; and My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth by Ann Turner. He lives in New York State and teaches illustration at Syracuse University. See more of his work at www.jamesransome.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/01/2014
Gr 1–4—This picture book biography tackles the life of former slave and abolitionist Isabella Baumfree, better known as Sojourner Truth. Turner details the life of this pivotal figure, who was born into slavery in the late-18th century in New York, along with 11 siblings, all of whom were sold off. The account is told in first-person narrative, with Truth discussing how her different owners treated her and how she seized freedom for herself when one of them broke his promise to free her. Her journey culminated in her work as a preacher, and many spreads are dedicated to Truth displaying her power, passion, and poise as a speaker, spreading her antislavery message wherever she went. Turner makes effective use of dialect, and the well-crafted text reads like poetry or a monologue ("'Welcome,' they said/had anyone ever said that word to me before?/and showed me a fine wide room with a white bed to sleep in/I never slept in a bed before"). Rich, painterly watercolor illustrations effectively reflect the pain of Truth's past and the lyrical nature of her narrative, while the use of different fonts highlights the most crucial parts of the narrative. Those who are already somewhat familiar with Truth will get the most out of this book, and educators will find the author's note helpful in explaining this historical figure to students. A wonderful addition to collections of African American history that will also work well as a read-aloud.—Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

School Library Journal

I hope this invigorating picture-book biography will encourage young people to learn more about Truth, and read some of her speeches. James Ransome's watercolor illustrations are a fine match for Turner's straight-to-the-heart narrative. He captures the shifting heft of Truth's life—the backbreaking labor, the delight of sleeping on a bed for the first time, the power of her sermons over listeners. Some of his illustrations go beyond the words to portray a cosmic, seemingly preordained life of service for Truth.

The New York Times Book Review - Katheryn Russell-Brown

★ 10/20/2014
With plainspoken lyricism, Turner imagines Isabella Baumfree narrating her own story: the violent dehumanization she endured as a slave, her escape from slavery, and how she evolved into the figure known as Sojourner Truth. Turner is unflinching in her account of the abuses inflicted on Baumfree by slave-owners: “I was always getting beat./ Once he fired up a bunch of green/ sticks in the fire hardened like stone/ and beat me until the blood ran.” After securing her own freedom, Baumfree gained legal help to retrieve her enslaved son, and embraced a new role as a civil rights activist and preacher. Ransome’s watercolors infuse the story with emotion, from the agony of separation (her 11 siblings were “sold off one by one”) to her impassioned speeches and the contentment and satisfaction she eventually found. Ages 6–10. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

2014-10-15
An American story of an extraordinary woman.Writing in free verse and borrowing the voice of the great abolitionist, Turner presents a powerful account of Truth's life. Born into slavery as Isabella and sold from family to family, she took the name Sojourner Truth and began preaching for freedom. Later in life, she dictated her story, published as The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. Ransome paints in evocative watercolors that are barely contained in full-bleed pages that capture both the drama and the sorrow of her life. Particularly effective is a double-page spread with three views of Sojourner Truth behind a pulpit forcefully "tell[ing] the news of God's truth in meetings and gatherings." Against a white background, the images explode across the pages. Selected words in larger type and italics are a strong component of the page design. As a read-aloud, the text is strong and effective. As a part of a curriculum, there are concerns. The first-person narrative can be mistakenly taken as an autobiography, which it is not, and quotations are not sourced. When used in concert with other sources, a powerful life of a determined woman who rose from slavery to preach for freedom. (author's note, photograph, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews