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Anna Julia Cooper’s A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South (1892) is widely considered one of the first book-length statements of Black feminist thought. A precursor to such seminal formulations as intersectionality, A Voice from the South centers the unique challenges and contributions of Black women in the ongoing struggles for Black equality, freedom, and civil rights. Upon its publication in 1892, A Voice from the South was widely reviewed in both the Black and white press. Though reviewers were generally favorable, few were unequivocal in their praise.  Collated here, for the first time, are over 30 reviews that provide insight into the social, political, and cultural content out of which Cooper was writing and that offers a glimpse into a dynamic and engaged African American reading public. This collection of reviews offers us another starting point for understanding networked nature of Black intellectual thought and the circulation of African American texts at the end of the nineteenth century.

This collection of reviews builds on the work of Monroe Majors (Noted Negro Women: Their Triumphs and Activities. Donohue & Henneberry, 1893) and Louise Hutchinson (Anna Julia Cooper: A Voice from the South, Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981) and provides a valuable resources to teachers, researchers, and students alike. 

*Primary research locating extant reviews of A Voice from the South conducted by Katie Warczak between 2018-2021.

Reviews and Mentions in Published Texts

Reviews and Mentions in Newspapers and Magazines