My Soul Is a Witness: African-American Women's Spirituality

American Visions, April, 1996 by Dale Edwyna Smith

My Soul Is a Witness: African-American Women's Spirituality edited by Gloria Wade-Gayles (Beacon. 1995. $24)--This collection of essays, poetry, interviews and lore by, with and about black women's spiritual experiences attests to the sure results of our varied beliefs. Mari Evans' poem "The Elders" and Anthony Walton's essay "`Mary Don't You Weep': Becoming My Mother's Son" showcase old-time religion; Carolyn M. Rodgers' poem "how i got ovah II/It Is Deep II," Margo V. Perkins' essay "The Church of Aretha" and Belvie Rooks' essay "Revelations by Grace" highlight the power of personal epiphanies; Sojourner Truth's address, Thulani Davis' essay "Walking in Eight Directions on One Path" (on Buddhism) and Iyanla Vanzant's essay "Guardian Spirits" help us identify and invite our personal guardian spirits to walk with us. Recommended for the bedside table.

Dale Edwyna Smith is an assistant professor of American history and Afro-American history at Washington University in St. Louis whose reviews have appeared in Southern Review and Belles Lettres. Her last article for American Visions, "Recent and Relevant History Books," appeared in the February/ March issue.