My soul is a witness : African-American women's spirituality /

The writings that make up this anthology are uneven in quality and message. The book includes every form of written expression from hymns to academic work. Some, like Sojourner Truth's ``Address to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention,'' are classics. Some, like Taha's ``The Sacred Journey: The Gift of the Hajj,'' will likely become classics. And, others, like Goboldte's essay on the Imani Faith Temple, are academic pedestrians that ``seek to contextualize.'' The book is directed to African American women, but, despite the unevenness and the cultural markers, the anthology also harbors a spirituality that is universal rather than sex or race limited. Nikki Giovanni's ``Let the Church Say Amen'' directly offers this richness when she writes that she has the same message for any audience ``because I know my grandmother, and her Bridge-Flower-Book club friends are always there.'' (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved