"It Is Well With My Soul"

Sources for this post:

NPR Morning Edition article on Ms. Cheeks-Johnson

Penguin’s Memorial article on their USA blog

PBS’ “Remembering Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson”


When we discussed which title to start with, it was a hard decision. We all wanted to highlight a book that was entertaining, approachable, inspirational, and spoke to the NLC’s ideals of education and community service. This is a fairly tall order, but luckily we found It Is Well With My Soul, the autobiography of Ms. Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson.

“Ms. Ella Mae”, as we have taken to calling her affectionately, lived to be 106 years old, crafting her life into a truly beautiful story. She attended Fisk University in Tennessee in 1921, and later Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, becoming a social worker, traveling the world, forming a loving family, and giving back to her community. (Joseph Shapiro's NPR article)

The value she placed on education is apparent from her life story. Here at the NLC, our motto is “Reading Changes Lives” – and Ms. Cheeks-Johnson is a sterling example of what one can do with the determination and patience that education fosters. The historical lessons of her experience in this century as an African-American woman are similarly inspiring. Most of the memorial articles we found have a small story about how proud she was to see President Barack Obama inaugurated. Her story both illuminates her personal experiences and transcends the boundaries of race and culture to inspire each reader it touches.

Please join us in reading this selection, and tell us what you think. How has Ms. Cheeks-Johnson’s memoir touched your life? Does it raise any questions or observations you’d like to share?

Happy Reading!

--NLC