Review: The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist

The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist by Marcus Rediker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lay was a man who lived in the late 1600s and 1700s. Born in England, he was a small person who also dealt with kyphosis, an illness that curves the back. He lived as a shepherd for a while and eventually lived as a sailor for about a decade before returning to England. Upon returning, he joins with his local Quaker community and he starts to call out the Quaker leadership for their hypocrisies. He spends much of the rest of his life, getting kicked out of Quaker communities for speaking his mind and increasingly, calling out Quaker leadership for owning and profiting from slavery both in England and in Pennsylvania. He even publishes a book through Benjamin Franklin's press, All slave-keepers that keep the innocent in bondage (yes, you can even read it today). He was a vegetarian and performed guerilla theatre stunts at Quaker meetings involving fake blood. He's just such an interesting character that we know hardly anything about in the modern day. His work would go on to influence the Quakers in moving toward abolitionism in the late 1700s and early 1800s. As a historical biography, this book is a bit dry. My sense is that Rediker has less to go on; therefore he has to draw in details that he can account for in as much detail as possible and conservatively interpret the gaps. He then justifies those gaps with other literature and sources that highlight this is or was likely. It's standard practice in history books but still feels (rightfully) dry. In fact, if it wasn't dry, one might have to question his authenticity of research on Benjamin Lay, the subject of his biography. I can only say that I can't believe this person does not have more attention on him. I mean--there needs to be a movie about Lay and just how badass he was.

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