Amazingly well researched and informative. Some passages felt a little long and hard to read but it was overall really well written.

Carved by Ebony---a biography contains stories of ten Black, Christian Women, with each chapters highlight their background stories, histories and achievements through their lives.

I really love the author's writing style as each chapters flows smoothly, plus each stories are well researched. Through each stories I'm able to gain knowledge, know more about these remarkable women, plus I felt inspired by their hardships and faith.

Thank you Netgally for providing an eARC

This book was so encouraging and informative. Not only is it necessary for Black people, but it is important for all people to learn from these unsung names. I found the author to be honest and raw in how she shares why she picked each person. It was almost as if we were having a cup of coffee and she was telling me, educating me, and encouraging me in the faith through her thought process. I have no doubt that I would have not learned these names if she did not share their stories. I look forward to the Bema of these women.

What an inspiring read! Jasmine introduces us to ten amazing Black Christian Women. Nine of these woman were unknown to me. She also mentions many others she was unable to include and this has led me on a search to learn more about our black brothers and sisters that have been forgotten in church history. Planning on hosting a reading group with this group this summer with my Bible Study.

I would love to thank Bethany House Publishers, Netgalley and the author for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this is the year I decided to stop pushing myself towards a reading slump. If I find it really hard to continue with a book, I want to dnf it. I started this one last year and got to 20%, then stopped and read other books.

Now going through my Currently Reading shelf I found this one and made a tough decision: I'm dnf'ing it.

This nonfiction is a gem, it talks about Black Women and how some of their decisions changed the world, which is a great topic.

I just simply didn't resonate with it, it didn't touched my soul as I would've liked.

Loved this book for the slices of history it provided access to, which aren’t likely to be found in history books. I felt really drawn in to the stories not only of the ten ladies described here, but also the author. How very important a work, not only to remember these ladies that might be lost to history without good scholars, but also for the Black women today who need to remember who came before and what a proud heritage they have. And for white people today who need to be reminded how slavery and racism was not that long ago, and how deeply impactful it was and continues to be.

Described by author as “part biography and part memoir- part research, part love letter…” Carved In Ebony focuses on how ten Black women have been some of the main figures in defining the landscape of American history and faith.

This book was definitely more Christian than I expected (should have known since it’s published by Bethany House). I found it a little dry but interspersed personal anecdotes from Holmes helped a lot. It’s clear that she did her research! There was more commentary than biography for what I would have liked, but it makes sense because there was not a lot of source material for these women. There was, however, a lot of background on men. I was not expecting that.

My favorite chapter was on Maria Fearing!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Carved in Ebony
By Jasmine L. Holmes
from Bethany House
Their faith shaped their lives and the lives of those around them and we can still learn from their example.

Carved in Ebony takes the reader on a journey through history to examine the lives of ten extraordinary women of faith who also were women of color. See how today we are still seeing the impact that their faith had even though they themselves are not common-tip-of-the-tongue names.

I will admit I had not previously heard or read about any of these ten women of faith. Women who lived their lives guided by this faith. Women, who were shaped by the world they lived in - a world of slavery and prejudice - but yet they were not stifled or silenced by it. But they took a stand and lived a life worthy of examination and of emulation. The type of life we should all strive for - one of making the world around us better.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations - all thoughts expressed are my own.

I adore historical books, and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to give food-for-thought!

Carved in Ebony highlights black women from the past that have paved the way in sharing the gospel. A majority of these women I had never heard of until I read this book. Each story gives you a description of the woman and what great things she has done, even for people that didn't value or respect her due to the color of her skin. This was an amazing and inspiring read.

I received a copy of the book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I really liked this book on different African American women in American history. You may not know them and that’s why she is writing about them. It’s a must read for Black History Month especially. Though I don’t agree with her on some of her thoughts and writings on our Founders, I do understand how frustrating it can be and not understanding why more wasn’t done at an earlier time for her ancestors. All slavery is appalling, but the chattel slavery was horrendous and ghastly. How any of it ever came to be in America, Land of the Free, to live free in happiness, liberty, and worship of our God in the different denominations that seek to worship Him, I don’t understand either. Though I know many fought it and tried to end it beforehand, though once evil gets a hold, sometimes it’s hard to eradicate it. And it was, but thank you Jesus, we did!…It’s a review of each woman, how she worked to help her people and further the gospel of Christ. I enjoyed learning about each one. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers, Bethany House, for the opportunity to read and review #CarvedInEbony with my own thoughts and opinions.

With Carved in Ebony, Jasmine L Holmes has written a beautiful book about christian black women whose lives can shape us and make us think about things that we might take for granted, even though they had to fight very hard to get there. The author is really passionate about this topic and shows this in writing these mini-biographies. Above all, she shows how these women glorify God through their lives and we can learn a lot from that.

This book is easy to read and highly recommended for anyone who wants to read more about Christian black women.

I received a copy from this book through the publisher and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Carved In Ebony. It follows a subject that needed to be tackled one way or the other. Comes out Nov 2 2021, get hyped!!

Carved in Ebony by Jasmine L. Holmes brings together the author’s life experiences and multiple biographies as she offers lessons and thoughts about living life as a Black woman of faith. Each chapter commences with an engaging story or narrative before relating the biography of the featured woman. Holmes then concludes the chapter by reflecting on the woman’s life and offers her own hopes for the future.

Carved in Ebony features ten women who were chosen because of their activism and deep faith. Elizabeth Freeman, Sara Griffith Stanley, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Amanda Berry Smith, Maria Fearing, Maria Stewart, Lucy Craft Laney, Charlotte Forten Grimke, and Sarah Mapps Douglass. All these women were previously unknown to me and each one amazed me with their bravery as they lived out spiritual truths and led faithful lives.

As a mid-thirties, white woman, I may not be in the target audience for Carved in Ebony, but I am glad I read this book because I learned from the featured women as well as the author’s perspective. Not only are there truths that challenge and encourage me, but the book offers insight into what it means to be a Black woman in today’s evangelical church culture. It grieves me that racism still exists and that it is alive in today’s church. Despite the evils against her Black ancestors, the author doesn’t hate on white people. She detests racism and American chattel slavery, but she does not abhor other people based on their skin color.

I recommend Carved in Ebony: Lessons from the Black Women who Shape Us by Jasmine L. Holmes to any Christian woman who is willing to listen to the stories of others with an open mind and willingness to grow.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

What a gift to have a light shined onto the lives of women who lived and loved well, who have been often unseen or forgotten throughout our retelling of history.

In Carved in Ebony, Jasmine L. Holmes offers the stories of ten such black women, intermixed with her own experience learning about them. I came into this book expecting a more formal telling of the historical accounts, but received instead more of a conversation with a friend. Jasmine doesn’t merely talk about these women who impacted the lives and faith of others, she speaks about the way she was surprised in her research or what she was hoping to uncover.

If you’re looking for “just the history” through short biographies, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re up for a more informal feel, you’ll get a behind the scenes look at the author’s research as part of her storytelling as well as her own takeaways about these 10 remarkable black women. I’m grateful to have been invited to learn alongside Jasmine through Carved In Ebony.

Lovely book with lessons of faith from women who aren't well known. While this book had less biographical information, I appreciated the length of the entries and look forward to reading more about these women. Highly recommend!

Well written and well researched, this book will scratch that itch you have to find out about little known women in history. I loved learning how these brave women were used by God to shape our country. I would love a part two!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for the purpose of review.

This book was a labor of love from the author and I greatly enjoyed reading and learning from it. I had not heard of any of these ten Black women but their stories are definitely worth remembering.

Each chapter is a mini-biography, not a deep dive as the author had limited sources to use to find out about their lives. But we can still learn a lot from what we know of their lives, and I loved that each chapter also highlights a particular trait of that woman that we can try to emulate in our own lives. The author also tells a bit of her own story throughout this book, showing how each of these women has affected her life and her learning.

I think Elizabeth Freeman and Lucy Craft Laney were my favorite chapters. But honestly, I loved seeing the evidence of God's faithfulness throughout these women's lives, as they persevered to get their own education, to travel to spread the gospel, to educate children, to secure their own freedom, even as many of them were single women and some of them were born enslaved.

An inspiring book for anyone who likes little-known stories from history. I definitely recommend!

I have been pitifully unaware of the historical contributions of women of color, so I approached Carved in Ebony: Lessons from the Black Women Who Shape Us like an explorer headed into uncharted territory. Fortunately, Jasmine Holmes, herself a woman of color, is a reliable guide, and while she is a historian and a woman of faith, she is also a gifted storyteller. Therefore, each of the ten women she introduced to me was presented with crystal clarity, not merely in the context of her contribution to race relations in America, but also relative to the unique challenges she overcame in order to be heard.

Living inside their own brown skin, created in God’s image, these little-known and barely celebrated women span a century of oppression that stretched from our country’s founding through the end of the Civil War. Holmes weaves her own story into the narrative as a writer, teacher, and mother, particularly sharing how her subjects have impacted her own story. Her personal response, coupled with the powerful impact of ten dynamic lives, whetted my appetite to dig deeper and to trust God to honor my own small faithfulness as it is offered to him.

Many thanks to Bethany House Publishers for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

Carved in Ebony: Lessons from the Black Women Who Shape Us
by Jasmine L. Holmes
This is a book that should be in school libraries, although I would use it as a reference book for teachers to expand their understanding of phenomenal black women who changed society. Ten women are featured by the author bringing out their accomplishments and parts they played in creating a free and united nation. From Elizabeth Freeman, a slave that sued for her own freedom. Sara Griffith Stanly, an activist and poet. Nannie Helen Burroughs a remarkably unknown heroine of women's rights, and black rights. A long list of phenomenal women that bring not only their point of view, but the reality to the ideals of American Liberty, life, and prosperity.