Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, The Original H.I.R. (Historical Investigative Reporter)

If you're looking for that special African American title to add to your Black History library, consider the book, THIS I ACCOMPLISH: HARRIET POWERS' BIBLE QUILT AND OTHER PIECES, by writer and quilter Kyra E. Hicks.

THIS I ACCOMPLISH is the very detailed, very charming story of ex-slave and gifted quilter Harriet Powers, whose magnificent Bible Quilt made its way from her humble country home in Athens, Georgia to the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

Love a good read? This book is the one. Meticulously researched and painstakingly documented, THIS I ACCOMPLISH breathes new life into the obscure story of unsung heroine Harriet Powers. Hicks takes her readers right along with her on her fact-finding mission to learn more about Harriet Powers, a woman once believed to be "just an illiterate ex-slave." Building on previous research and posing a few new questions of her own, Hicks embarks on an extraordinary journey of historical research that sheds light on Harriet's life; she even disproves the "illiterate" theory, and adds a whole new layer to the Harriet Powers story.

This book is full of wonderful old photographs, including photos of the bible quilt as far back as 1895, when it was exhibited at the Atlanta Expo. But Hicks doesn't stop there; she shares photos of the quilt's former owners and caretakers, and even includes a photo of the elusive Harriet Powers herself, circa 1897.

A devoted historian, Hicks offers detail-hungry readers as much information about the "Bible" and the "Pictorial" quilt as they can digest, from the time each one left Harriet Powers' talented fingertips until each reached its final resting place.

Kyra Hicks' own quilts have appeared in over forty group exhibitions, including the American Folk Art Museum in New York. Her other books include BLACK THREADS: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTING SOURCEBOOK, and MARTHA ANN'S QUILT FOR QUEEN VICTORIA.

If you love your African American history mixed with a dab of mystery and intrigue, pick up a copy of THIS I ACCOMPLISH this month.

Enjoy Black History Month!