Bernard tells the story of one black woman's rise from slavery to national prominence in Journey Toward Freedom, and she shows how this woman's life intersected with, and contributed to, shifts in history. In the course of her portrayal of nineteenth-century America, Bernard records language, attitudes, and actions unacceptable by late twentieth-century standards, and she highlights problems of racism and sexism still unsolved in the twentieth century. This honesty might raise initial questions, but few people should find it offensive.

Characters use the word "nigger" in the book. This very offensive word reflects the standards and prejudice of the times. This is more sharply shown when characters refer to blacks as animals. John Neely had "picked up a flock of healthy sheep and a sturdy looking slave child, all for one hundred dollars." Sheep and a slave child are syntactically and monetarily equal for Neely. When...