Since Sojourner could neither read nor write, Sojourner told her life story to Gilbert. Gilbert does write in third person as she tells Sojourner's story. Gilbert is also careful to make it clear when Gilbert is making her own point about something that Sojourner has told her about her life. When Gilbert discussed Sojourner's use of children to read the Bible to her, Gilbert pointed out that the adults that read it always wanted to do a commentary. Gilbert was very good throughout the narrative to do very little commentary style work. The narrative might have been a bit stronger had it been in first person but Gilbert did an excellent work with the narrative as it is.