 | |
| Author | Marcus Rediker |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | William Williams |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | Beacon Press |
| Media type | Book |
| ISBN | 978-080703592-4 |
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.
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]
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]