Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans

In celebration of its twentieth anniversary, the classic collection of the most poignant and profound African-American prayers, redesigned and repackaged in a beautiful keepsake leather-bound edition with a stitched-in ribbon bookmark.

A profound reflection of the spirit spanning 235 years of African-American faith—from the beginnings of slavery through Reconstruction and the Civil Rights movement to today—Conversations with God brings together words of suffering, of hope, of love, of commitment, of the strength of God to heal and to lift us up.

Collected from the letters and writings of common men as well as the works of prominent literary figures—W.E.B. Du Bois, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Alice Walker—these warm and earnest prayers provide a glimpse into the struggles and strengths of people throughout history, and their passionate belief in the comforting and transformative power of faith.

As powerful today as when it was first published, Conversations with God is an intimate spiritual journey and a tribute to the power of faith. Assembled from letters and writings that span more than two hundred years, these prayers form a one-of-a-kind volume that will inspire the spirit and warm the heart.

Prayer brings us closer to God, and these moving writings are a reminder that faith has the power to transform. With words by W. E. B. Du Bois, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Alice Walker, and many others, we come to recognize the significant role prayer has played in our survival. We see a glimpse of each author's dreams and fears, and their clear conviction that God hears, and responds, to our requests. At times a meditation on pain, at others a deep and affecting reflection of hope, these prayers are beacons of strength and inspiring lessons for our everyday lives.

Comforting and passionate, Conversations with God is an enduring collection that is sure to be cherished by families and generations to come.

“It has been years since I have seen a book which will prove such a treasure to those who practice daily devotions, lead corporate prayer, or mediate on wisdom. What historian James Melvin Washington presents here is not a quaint collection of dusty ethnic curiosities, but a living thing with a past and a future.” - Trenton New Jersey Times

“It has been years since I have seen a book which will prove such a treasure. . . Here is not a quaint collection of dusty ethnic curiosities, but a living thing with a past and a future.” - Trenton NJ Times

“Washington takes a giant step in helping to preserve the rich tradition of spirituality in African-American culture—and by extension all American culture—and celebrates the legacy of prayer that has supported and strengthened generations of blacks through good times and bad.” - Carolina Times

“Washington’s eloquent statements explaining why we should revere these prayers as living testaments of not only our faith, but also our courage and strength, are powerful and spiritually uplifting. Conversations with God is a very special book that will warm your soul and awaken your spirit.” - Quarterly Black Review

“James Melvin Washington has compiled a unique history of the African-American Christian experience. . . From Phillis Wheatley to Jesse Jackson, Conversations with God presents a prolific legacy of faith, ranging from personal meditations to resounding communal celebrations.” - Christianity Today

“These prayers speak not only to African Americans, but to the hearts and souls of people everywhere. . . A powerful testament of faith and hope that will provide a rich, enduring source of inspiration for its fortunate readers.” - Coretta Scott King

“This anthology of amazingly graceful passages will serve as a testament of hope for those who have carried everything to God in prayer.” - American Visions

“Listen to our people praying and one will understand why former slaves have done so much to help save the soul of America. To eavesdrop on these conversations between God and African Americans will expose one to a faith tradition strong enough to lift a people from the miry clay of racial oppression to the dignity and strength of divine sonship and daughterhood. It is inconceivable that divine Providence could be indifferent to the moans and groans of this people more tethered to the hope than bound by chains.” - James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister, The Riverside Church

“Prayer, as James Washington’s moving book chronicles, was the fuel that enabled our black foremothers and forefathers to get over the mountains of slavery and through the valleys of segregation. This testament to the spirit of African Americans from Richard Allen to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Phillis Wheatley to Sojourner Truth, will revive your spirit as it did mine. I thank him for this wonderful gift.” - Marian Wright Edelman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Measure of Our Success and President of the Children's Defense Fund

“Prayer, as James Washington’s moving book chronicles, was the fuel that enabled our black foremothers and forefathers to get over the mountains of slavery and through the valleys of segregation. This testament to the spirit of African Americans. . . Will revive your spirit as it did mine.” - Marian Wright Edelman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Measure of Our Success and President of the Children's Defense Fund