Journey Toward Freedom is a study in self-reliance. Sojourner Truth's entire life is controlled by others as she grows up a slave. Even her last name changes every time she is bought by a new owner.

As an adolescent, her life revolves around working hard to please her master, Dumont. Yet she develops independence and self-reliance, and in midlife, she determines her own course, listening to the God she thinks is within her, changing her name, and devoting her life to causes such as black rights and women's rights. By showing the values Sojourner discovered as she grew into herself, Bernard's book becomes a study in personal and social ethics.

Sojourner's name change marks the shift between the two periods of her life.

She develops from a frightened, lonely slave to a witty, wise, fiercely independent, and brave woman. Her deep faith, self-reliance, high...