James Walker Hood's One Hundred Years of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church or the Centennial of African Methodism is an encyclopedic look at the history of the A. M. E. Z. Church from its inception to its centennial. The first third of the book provides an overview of the denomination's history, while the remaining sections offer detailed biographical sketches of important church leaders and members, and brief histories of each regional conference. Throughout the work, Hood reprints relevant church documents in part or in entirety. Summary tables of conference and state statistics are also included.

Hood organizes the history of his church into three periods: The Formation Period (1796-1821), The Developing Period (1821-1863), and The Flourishing Period (1863-1896). He pays special attention to the conflicts surrounding the proposed unification of the A. M. E. Z. Church and the African Methodist Episcopal (A. M. E.) Church. In this work, Hood attempts to enumerate some of the distinguishing characteristics of his denomination, while placing it in the context of the larger black church movement, and the even wider scope of Christian history.

Maryellen Davis