Reasons to read Carved in Ebony by Jasmine L. Holmes

Summary

Carved in Ebony written by Jasmine L. Holmes is about 10 lesser known Christian black women of the Antebellum/Postbellum period. The Antebellum period is the time between the formation of the U.S. government and the American Civil War. Starting around 1815 and ending around 1861. The 10 black women discussed are:

1. Elizabeth Freeman
2. Sara Griffith Stanley
3. Nannie Helen Burroughs
4. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
5. Amanda Berry Smith
6. Maria Fearing
7. Maria Stewart
8. Lucy Craft Laney
9. Charlotte Forten Grimke
10. Sarah Mapps Douglass

About the Author

Jasmine L. Holmes is a Texas native who currently lives in Mississippi with her husband and three sons. She is the author of Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope. She is also a contributing author for Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Our Identity in Christ and His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. 

Review

First of all, can we just talk about this book cover? I’m in love. 

I know they say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but based on the cover I imagine beautiful imagery and black female excellence. 

The soft peach background with its brown skinned women in their classic clothes and pops of green leafery is just perfection. 

Now, let’s talk about the title for a sec. ‘Carved in Ebony.’   

I love the double entendre that she uses. When first hearing the word ‘ebony’ one would assume that she’s only referring to the skin tone of these women. 

But in the foreword Holmes talks about an ebony tree. The ebony tree, she describes, ‘is most often found standing alone on a vast savanna, defying harsh elements that would wither other vegetation.’ 

She goes on to talk about the Woodsman who carefully crafts the ebony tree into a work of art. 

Black women being the ebony tree and the Woodsman or Master Crafter being the Lord. So beautiful, this analogy.

I also love that she clarifies that these women are not to be worshiped but reminds the reader that these 10 women and all black women were made in the image of God. In a world where ‘black girl magic,’ gets thrown around like black women are superhuman; like we have special powers to deal with all the hurt, harm, and pain that the world throws at us, it’s nice to see stories of greatness from everyday black women trying to honor God and serve their communities. 

“When I tell you the story of dignified Black womanhood, I do so to combat the opposite narrative, yes, but I also do it to point to the inherent dignity and worth of women, whom God created in his image and for his glory.  God’s image carved in ebony.”

― Jasmine L. Holmes, Carved In Ebony 

1 theme of Carved in Ebony:

Women of Faith

“These teachers, preachers, missionaries, activists, writers, wives, sisters, and mothers have so much to teach us about what it means to be both Black and American, both woman and citizen, and overwhelmingly and through it all, Christian.”

― Jasmine L. Holmes, Carved In Ebony

Think about these questions…

Who’s your favorite theologian? 

Who’s your favorite bible teacher?

Who’s your favorite historical figure of faith?

Are the answers to any of these questions black people? What about black women? I would say that the answer is probably not. 

As a black woman of faith myself, I found it refreshing and encouraging to read about other sisters in the faith who look like me, loved Jesus, and impacted history. 

But you don’t have to be a black woman of faith to want to read about these women as they are inspirational and examples for all. 

Women like Sara Griffith Stanley who went to the southern states as a missionary, or Nannie Helen Burroughs who spoke at the National Baptist Convention or Amanda Berry Smith who was an evangelist and missionary. 

These women had struggles and hardships, some we can relate to and some like we have never imagined, but they loved God and professed His name through it all. 

Why read?

3 reasons to read Carved In Ebony include:

1. Historical knowledge- History buffs where yall at? You should definitely check out this book if you love learning about history. Now I will say that I wanted there to be more information given about some of these women, but she did give a caveat that she had difficulty finding information.
2. Witty and personal commentary- Not only are we learning more about these 10 black women, but we learn more about Holmes.
3. Young readers edition- So I read the regular, adult version. But there is a version for younger readers. This would be good for teen discipleship groups, mothers and daughters, or as a gift to a young reader.

“I did not choose these women because they passed my every theological test. I could not ask them every faith based question I wanted answered, and they did not write exhaustive commentaries that I can check next to Scripture. But from what I could tell, they lived faithful-though imperfect- lives of service to Jesus, with lessons I was so eager and grateful to mine. ”

― Jasmine L. Holmes, Carved In Ebony