The Fearless Benjamin Lay

The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist is a biography of Benjamin Lay written by Marcus Rediker and published by Beacon Press on September 5, 2017. The book was followed by a companion graphic novel entitled Prophet Against Slavery in 2021.

Background

The 216-page book was written by Marcus Rediker and published by Beacon Press on September 5, 2017.[1] The book is a biography about Benjamin Lay, a Quaker dwarf with strong abolitionist convictions.[2] The book is the first biography that Rediker has written and is composed of six chapters.[3][4] Rediker is not a Quaker, however, his book follows in the tradition of Christopher Hill and his book The World Turned Upside Down.[5] In the book, Rediker argues that Lay was responsible for establishing the antislavery position for the Quakers.[6] A companion graphic novel illustrated by David Lester called Prophet Against Slavery was published in 2021.[7]

Benjamin Lay was married to Quaker minister Sarah Smith Lay.[8] They lived in Barbados for a couple of years before moving to Pennsylvania.[9] Benjamin Franklin published a book by Lay in 1737 titled All Slave-Keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates.[10] Lay wrote the book while travelling around the world and observing how the slave trade was operated.[11]

Reception

The Publishers Weekly review states that the book "successfully rescues Lay from obscurity" and that Benjamin Lay "deserve[s] to be remembered."[12] The Guardian included the book on their list of the best biographies and autobiographies of 2017 saying that the book is "micro-history at its best".[13] Christianity Today commented on the book saying that it "brings vividly to life a near-forgotten figure".[14]

References

  1. ^ "The Fearless Benjamin Lay the Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist by Marcus Rediker". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media. May 27, 2017. ISSN 1948-7428. OCLC 1052699941. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  2. ^ Angell, Stephen. "The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist – Quaker Theology". Quaker Theology: A Progressive Journal and Forum for Discussion and Study. QUEST. ISSN 1526-7490. OCLC 643773046. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  3. ^ DiPerna, Jody (October 4, 2017). "Marcus Rediker on history's most notable abolitionist Quaker dwarf". Pittsburgh City Paper. Block Communications. ISSN 1066-0062. OCLC 26849157. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Holcomb, Julie L. (June 2, 2018). "The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist by Marcus Rediker (review)". Quaker History. 107 (1). Friends Historical Association: 54–55. doi:10.1353/qkh.2018.0002. ISSN 1934-1504. OCLC 176629477 – via Project Muse.
  5. ^ Ingle, Larry (September 1, 2017). "The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist". Friends Journal. Friends Publishing Corporation. ISSN 0016-1322. OCLC 1570228. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Sensbach, Jon (2018). "View of Marcus Rediker, The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist". JSRNC. International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture. doi:10.1558/jsrnc.35806. ISSN 1749-4915. Archived from the original on March 16, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2022 – via Equinox Publishing.
  7. ^ Cunningham, Lisa; Waltz, Amanda (October 5, 2022). "The Fearless Benjamin Lay weaves a rich, informative tale of an early abolitionist". Pittsburgh City Paper. Block Communications. ISSN 1066-0062. OCLC 26849157. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Smydo, Joe (October 22, 2017). "'The Fearless Benjamin Lay': A Pennsylvania Quaker dwarf who was a giant in abolitionism". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. ISSN 1068-624X. OCLC 1057964643. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Hogan, Susan (May 14, 2018). "'In the belly of hell': The Quaker abolitionist disowned by his faith for condemning slave owners". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  10. ^ Lapointe, Grace (December 9, 2020). "5 of the Best Introductory U.S. Disability History Books". Book Riot. Riot New Media Group. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  11. ^ Bateman, Oliver Lee (August 17, 2017). "A Historian of Forgotten Resistance". Pacific Standard. The Social Justice Foundation. ISSN 1941-5672. OCLC 773196839. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  12. ^ "The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist by Marcus Rediker". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz, LLC. June 26, 2017. ISSN 0000-0019. OCLC 2489456. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  13. ^ Hughes, Kathryn (November 29, 2017). "The best biography and autobiography books of 2017". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  14. ^ Reynolds, Matt (November 27, 2017). "New & Noteworthy Books". Christianity Today. Christianity Today International. ISSN 0009-5753. OCLC 1554505. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2024.