Reprint of the original, first published in 1871. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

Enslaved Africans brought their music and religion with them to America. They adapted their spiritual worldview into the existing Christian framework for survival. The God of the oppressor was transformed into the God of liberation and justice. Salvation became the conduit for survival. Sacred song was embedded with African spirituality and African American theology to create a religious experience from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century that sustained African American people and became established forms of praise and worship. The Civil Rights movement changed the religious reality of African American people. Sacred song in the twenty- first century has many challenges. Will the legacy and heritage of sacred song survive?

From the time she was old enough to understand the musical gift she was given, Ana knew the life she wanted to lead. Hopeful to draw the attention of adoring crowds of millions and a perfectly matched prince once she got her one big break, Ana kept her mind only on her fairy-tale dreams, despite changes in the world suggesting that something much bigger was on its way. Although her family tried warning her of the signs surrounding her, Ana left herself vulnerable and unprepared for the new world she was suddenly thrust into, a world that challenged everything she knew about her strength and will to survive, yet one in which through her trials she found herself on a path to understanding the woman she was truly meant to be.