About the Author

Juan Williams is the author of the acclaimed PBS series companion volume Eyes on the Prize. He is a senior correspondent for NPR, political analyst for Fox News, and the host of America's Black Forum. Williams worked at the Washington Post for twenty-three years as a columnist, editorial writer, and White House correspondent. He has won an Emmy Award for his television documentary writing and has contributed features to Fortune, Atlantic Monthly, Ebony, GQ, New Republic, and Black Issues Book Review. He is a graduate of Haverford College in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

"Fascinating." -- New York Times Book Review"[This Far by Faith] skillfully combines written and oral sources with historical narrative." -- Boston Globe"The memorable photographs and illustrations...powerfully attest to the courage and religious convictions of generations of African Americans." -- Publishers Weekly"[A] clear, engaging...and nuanced introduction to the power of faith to sustain the African American community." -- Library Journal"[An] enlightening book." -- Booklist"This Far by Faith will go a long way in preserving stories about a significant aspect of our lives." -- Black Issues Book Review"This Far by Faith is a must-read." -- Christian Science Monitor"This Far by Faith is an important and powerful contribution to the historical archives of this country." -- Philadelphia Tribune"A learned, well-illustrated volume." -- Choice

"Fascinating." -- New York Times Book Review"[This Far by Faith] skillfully combines written and oral sources with historical narrative." -- Boston Globe"The memorable photographs and illustrations...powerfully attest to the courage and religious convictions of generations of African Americans." -- Publishers Weekly"[A] clear, engaging...and nuanced introduction to the power of faith to sustain the African American community." -- Library Journal"[An] enlightening book." -- Booklist"This Far by Faith will go a long way in preserving stories about a significant aspect of our lives." -- Black Issues Book Review"This Far by Faith is a must-read." -- Christian Science Monitor"This Far by Faith is an important and powerful contribution to the historical archives of this country." -- Philadelphia Tribune"A learned, well-illustrated volume." -- Choice

This pair of books both shows the breadth of African American religious experience and seeks to make sense of the ways that experience has functioned in black consciousness and American life. Public radio and television journalist Williams and Dixie (African American studies, Indiana Univ.) have teamed up to present This Far by Faith, a companion volume to a forthcoming PBS documentary series. They tell anew the stories of African Americans who have drawn on faith for the strength to challenge slavery, segregation, and racism. Clear, engaging narratives recount the stories of familiar and unfamiliar figures, from early slave rebellions to the 20th-century migration of thousands of Southern blacks to the cities of the North, from a Muslim slave's attempt to return to his native African tribe to Christian hip-hop music. The diversity of black religious experience is evident-including conjurers, Christians, Muslims, and a Buddhist pop star. Brief topical articles and captioned illustrations supplement the main text, creating a balanced, readable, and nuanced introduction to the power of faith to sustain the African American community. Making sense of how the heritage of slavery and racism has shaped African American identity, both personal and communal, is the task of Pinn (religious studies, Macalester Coll.; Varieties of African American Religious Experience). His book is more academic than This Far by Faith but no less compelling. First Pinn stresses two key rituals of terror that constituted black identity in American society: the slave auction and lynching. He then examines overt (black Christian) and covert (Nation of Islam) methods of "waging war," resisting pressures that construct black identity in racist terms. The most original portion of the book, however, is the third. Here the reader enters the contemporary conversation among African American religious scholars. In contrast to scholars who stress the dominant role of the black Christian church, Pinn argues that the religious fringes of black communities also play a significant role in shaping black religious identity, one that wrestles with dehumanization and seeks triumph over an oppressive past and present. Even in a crowded market niche, both of these books belong on every library's shelves.-Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.