Skip to main content

Book Review: The Gospel of Freedom

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Portland Book Review.

Alicestyne Turley

The Gospel of Freedom: Black Evangelicals and the Underground Railroad tells the little-known history of establishing and organizing tightly-knit networks to help enslaved people escape bondage. The book examines documented activities of enslaved people before the Revolutionary War and continued until the end of the Civil War.

While other works focusing on the Underground Railroad often herald the actions of White northern abolitionists, historian and scholar Alicestyne Turley demonstrates how enslaved Black people and White allies from the Deep South risked their lives, harnessed creativity and helped each to work toward freedom. Building the multicultural and multiracial antislavery network for more than a century created vibrant Black religious, economic, political, and social institutions in the South.

The book reflects Turley’s background in academia in tone and delivery. Through primary research and explication of family history, the author explains how the freedom movement that expanded across denominational boundaries helped strengthen Black congregations. The Underground Railroad is crucial American history that is often unspoken and untaught. Every academic library must carry this book to provide students of history with vital information that centers on the narratives of enslaved peoples in the Black American civil rights movement.

Buy from Capital Books

 

Popular posts from this blog

Minding the Wealth Gap

As a Black investor and startup founder, Cliff Goins IV brings firsthand experience and sharp insight to one of America’s most urgent issues: the racial wealth gap. Having navigated the worlds of finance and entrepreneurship, Goins has seen up close the systemic disparities in wealth creation, access to capital, and asset management. From unequal opportunities in homeownership and education to persistent challenges in business funding and employment, the historical gaps are perpetuated in present-day practices. In "Minding the Wealth Gap," Goins skillfully blends data, lived experience, and the insights of experts to illuminate the deep-rooted economic disparities facing Black Americans. More importantly, he highlights the power of collective uplift. Through the voices of nine dynamic “gap closers,” Goins shows how real change happens when Black investors and leaders open doors for others. Each success “play” or strategy underscores the ripple effect of support. Selena Cu...

A Beginner’s Guide to the Roots of Yoga

The modern practice of yoga in Western culture is often criticized for disconnecting from its cultural, historical, and spiritual roots. In many studios and gyms, yoga is reduced to a fitness routine—focused on stretching rather than its original purpose of enlightening the mind. In "A Beginner’s Guide to the Roots of Yoga," celebrated practitioner Nikita Desai reconnects readers with yoga’s ancient Indian origins. Drawing on her Indian heritage, Desai explores the deeper meanings behind yoga’s forms, postures, and intentions, offering a rich historical and philosophical context for those seeking a more authentic practice. Desai shares her personal journey of reclaiming yoga’s essence, inviting readers to do the same by integrating cultural awareness into their practice. Her tone is welcoming and nonjudgmental, making the book accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Although I do not practice yoga, my meditation roots lie in Zen Buddhism. Through conversations with prac...

Wash

Ebony Stewart’s "Wash" is a powerful, unflinching poetry collection that draws the reader into a world of raw emotion, deep introspection, and lyrical brilliance. As I read through the poems, I found myself captivated by Stewart’s honest reflections on identity, love, loss, and healing. Her voice is unapologetically bold, revealing the complexities of being a Black womxn navigating relationships, societal expectations, and hard-fought victories toward self-worth. Yet, her themes are universal, resonating with anyone who has grappled with their own identity and relationships. What struck me most was Stewart’s emotional transparency: each poem feels like a cleansing, a shedding of shame, doubt, and grief, revealing the triumph of knowing one’s value in a world that often seeks to diminish it. Stewart doesn’t shy away from exploring the pain of extractive love or the vulnerability of desire, but she also leaves room for empowerment and resilience. As a celebrated spoken word ...