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Amanda Berry Smith: From Washerwoman to Evangelist (Studies in Evangelicalism #16) [ Amanda Berry Smith: From Washerwoman to Evangelist (Studies in Evangelicalism #16) by Israel, Adrienne ( Author ) Paperback Jan- 1998 ] Paperback Jan- 01- 1998
This biography is the compelling story of Amanda Berry Smith, a former slave and washer-woman with less than a year of formal education who rose to become one of the nineteenth century's most important and successful Christian evangelists.
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First published January 1, 1998
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July 8, 2022
Amanda Berry Smith had a truly remarkable life, becoming a widely sought-after evangelist, traveling the globe, and engaging in benevolence work. Unfortunately, this biography (the only major academic biography of her ever published) does not capture Smith's spirit. In certain ways, Israel's research is astounding. She relates the financial dealings of Smith's orphanage (established near Chicago late in Smith's life) with penny-pinching detail, but rarely quotes Smith's own autobiography, which I was reading concurrently with this biography. Though Israel cites Smith's religious fervor as a reason she has been overlooked by historical research for so long, Israel shows little interest in the interior movements of Smith's spiritual life, which are recounted in glittering detail in the autobiography. As a historian, I do understand the trickiness of writing about a subject like Smith who claimed personal temptations by Satan. Yet, to fully capture the subject on paper, one must take the subject's own self-concept seriously.
Some chapters focused more on examining demographics and histories of the places Smith lived than on Smith's own life in those places. While this research does illuminate the world in which Smith lived, it must be accompanied by sufficient, well, biography. Nearly 25 years have passed since this biography of Smith, and the time is ripe for a new one, ideally one that gives Smith's spirituality its due weight. Unlike many women of the period, we have Smith's own voice relating her life story to build on! However, this biography has helped raise Smith's profile, and she is present in several anthologies of missional women, almost certainly due to the influence of this biography. The research is strong, and it's quite readable. The true task of a biography is to bring its subject to life, and unfortunately, that's where this biography fails.
Full text of Amanda Berry Smith's autobiography
Some chapters focused more on examining demographics and histories of the places Smith lived than on Smith's own life in those places. While this research does illuminate the world in which Smith lived, it must be accompanied by sufficient, well, biography. Nearly 25 years have passed since this biography of Smith, and the time is ripe for a new one, ideally one that gives Smith's spirituality its due weight. Unlike many women of the period, we have Smith's own voice relating her life story to build on! However, this biography has helped raise Smith's profile, and she is present in several anthologies of missional women, almost certainly due to the influence of this biography. The research is strong, and it's quite readable. The true task of a biography is to bring its subject to life, and unfortunately, that's where this biography fails.
Full text of Amanda Berry Smith's autobiography
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review