"Campbell's scrupulous scholarship and sensitivity to this trans-Atlantic context along make the book worthwhile. Of special interest to students of African-American history and religion at more advanced levels."--CHOICE "Songs of Zion is essential reading for anyone who hopes to understand the character of black people and, by virtue of that, the American spirit as well. Balanced in every respect, rich in research, James Campbell's history of the A.M.E. Church on two continents is a major contribution to the literature of the African diaspora."--Charles Johnson, author of Middle Passage and University of Washington "Songs of the Zion is the definitive account of the most important institutional connection between African Americans and black South Africans. Using the common experience of African Methodism as a window into black experience in the two countries, Campbell makes a major contribution to comparative studies and to the history of Pan-Africanism."--George Fredrickson, Stanford University "[An] invaluable comparative study."--eaching History "James T. Campbell...presents in this impressive volume a nuanced, complex treatment of the African Methodist Church. He is to be commended for contextualizing this tradition in both its American and South African settings, and doing so in a clear, honest writing style."--he Journal of Religion "[Songs of Zion] is divided into three parts, each prodigiously researched, well crafted, and insightful."--The Journal of American History