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The Fearless Benjamin Lay
The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist | Marcus Rediker
11 posts | 3 read | 7 to read
"The little-known story of an eighteenth-century Quaker dwarf who fiercely attacked slavery and imagined a new, more humane way of life. The Fearless Benjamin Lay chronicles the transatlantic life and times of a singular and astonishing man--a Quaker dwarf who became one of the first ever to demand the total, unconditional emancipation of all enslaved Africans around the world. He performed public guerrilla theater to shame slave masters, insisting that human bondage violated the fundamental principles of Christianity. He wrote a fiery, controversial book against bondage that Benjamin Franklin published in 1738. He lived in a cave, made his own clothes, refused to consume anything produced by slave labor, championed animal rights, and embraced vegetarianism. He acted on his ideals to create a new, practical, revolutionary way of life"--Provided by publisher.
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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TieDyeDude
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Mehso-so

Understandable for a book about a revolutionary abolitionist who was both cast out and voluntarily withdrew from society, but there is a lot of filler in here. The parts about Lay were interesting; the deep dives into his friends, the lives of his influences, and the page long dissections of a few sentences were less so. I skimmed a lot in the second half, but his is a good story and one worth knowing.

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TieDyeDude
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Books and beer with @WildAlaskaBibliophile

dabbe Now that's a B&B I can hang my hat on! 🤩😂😀 7mo
Leftcoastzen Yay!🍺 7mo
59 likes2 comments
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TieDyeDude
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#two4tuesday @thespineview

1. Tagged. I have had this book on my TBR for years. What a title!

2. No. I have thought about pre-ordering The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, but it is coming out around my birthday, so I will wait and see if it gets gifted. I'm considering pre-ordering 49 Miles Alone, but the library is so much cheaper :-)

TheSpineView You have more restraint than me. 📚📚📚 8mo
34 likes1 comment
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BunnyVivienne
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#Baldwin, #LaphamsQuarterly and a most recently finished book, on the og abolitionist, Benjamin Lay. Wonderfully fun to read about this righteous 'eccentric'.

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TieDyeDude
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Did you know that today is International Dwarfism Awareness Day? Neither did I until I serendipitously came across Little People of America in the book I am reading. The organization is on Facebook and Instagram (and probably more, but those are the only ones I'm on). Also, the tagged book sounds fascinating (mentioned in the same book I am reading) #dwarfismawareness

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rwmg
Pickpick

Fascinating biography of someone who deserves to be much better remembered

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rwmg
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comics_librarian
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Pickpick

Rediker displays his research chops presenting us with what is known of Benjamin Lay, possibly rescuing an accomplished and unique historical figure from obscurity, though it is a bit dry as a narrative.