Praise for Speak a Word for Freedom

“This book’s greatest achievement is that it conveys an essential truth: The enslaved are never culpable for their bondage, and their quest for freedom is equally the burden of those who are already free.” Retha Powers, general editor of Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations

“Janet Willen and Marjorie Gann do the crucial work of repositioning women at the center of both historical and contemporary fights against slavery….[with] gripping narrative and nuanced, richly textured characters.”  Rebecca Traister, senior editor at The New Republic and author of Big Girls Don’t Cry

“Readers who think of slavery as an institution relegated to the past will be enlightened by this engrossing study of female abolitionists from the 18th century to the present day . . . A powerful indictment of human rights abuses and tribute to the women who have fought them.” – Starred review, Publishers Weekly

“The authors of the outstanding global history Five Thousand Years of Slavery (2011) offer an equally impressive collection of 14 profiles of women who, from the 18th century to the present, have heroically championed emancipation and an end to human bondage…. An inspiring collection of those who have fought and continue to fight against the evil of slavery and an effectively solemn reminder that slavery remains a global plague.” – Kirkus Reviews

“This inspirational collection shares the lives and work of women who have fought slavery both past and present…. Readers will be shocked at the atrocities people face in our modern world and may even be inspired to inform others or add their voice to a cause…. This volume can serve as both a readable, narrative nonfiction piece and a collection of separate pieces on slavery in its many forms, past and present.” – VOYA Magazine