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

Image: The cover of the book. The title THE FEARLESS BENJAMIN LAY is in large white letters and THE QUAKER DWARF WHO BECAME THE FIRST REVOLUTIONARY ABOLITIONIST in smaller cream letters underneath. The cover shows a painting of Benjamin Lay standing on a dirt path in a green landscape with a fruit basket in the foreground and trees and a blue clouded sky in the background. He is a light-skinned white person with a light gray beard, brown cloak, shirt, pants, and hat. Lay is a little person who also has kyphosis. He is holding a cane and an open book in his right hand with his other facing the reader. He is also looking at the reader.

I became aware of The Fearless Benjamin Lay when I caught wind of an event with the author in my city. The event highlighted Benjamin as a Quaker, Dwarf, and abolitionist, so my interest was already piqued. When I sought out a description of the book and found that Lay was also an animal liberation proponent, it intrigued me even further. Benjamin Lay is someone that reactionaries would consider a dangerous, uber-radical, mega-snowflake by today's standards. It is truly remarkable that he held so strongly to so many radical convictions centuries ago- especially in a climate where he had few to no allies.

I want to note something before I get to deep into this review. I enjoyed this book and my review is mostly positive. But, the author makes a mistake that many white people make when writing about slavery. He centers whiteness. I do not mean that it is bad to talk about white people- obviously it is not in a biography about a white person. What I mean is that he makes statements- including in the title- that Lay was "the first revolutionary abolitionist." Two words are missing from that sentence: "documented" and "white." It may leave the sentence seeming not as exciting or sexy, but the way it is currently constructed plays into white histories of slavery that completely erase how enslaved and free Africans and Black people in general resisted slavery from the very beginning, but their efforts were violently oppressed and not documented. White abolitionists were absolutely critical to the struggle, no doubt. But, they were never the first. 

I considered knocking off two stars for this, but Rediker's "Conclusion" and "Author's Note" sections won me back over to 4 stars. He is not ignorant of these issues. He simply didn't express them well. The conclusion and author's note are the best part of this book. I assume Rediker kept them separate so that he could be objective in his biographical account of Lay's life. I would have preferred more of the analysis in the conclusion placed throughout the rest of the book to help offset what may come off to some as a lack of understanding of the bigger picture.
 
Rediker undoubtedly did extensive research for this book, digging into histories that I am sure were not easy to access. One of the more surprising things for me about the book was how much Quakers were into slavery at one point. In many radical and anarchist circles, we learn that we got consensus-based and some other kinds of egalitarian organizing methods from Quakers. The fact that so many of them went out of their way to not only defend slavery, but to silence all opposition to it, was new knowledge for me.

Benjamin Lay was little person with kyphosis of the spine and as a result, already dealt with disability based discrimination. This and his working class status absolutely informed much of his behavior and values, which Rediker aptly points out, exemplify a more accurate picture of abolitionism than what some historians portray. Abolitionists tended more to be people of lesser means rather than rich academics that are often highlighted today. Rediker also notes Lay's disability, class, and passion being part of the reason he is not remembered as an important abolitionist or American hero. Our country idolizes racist slavers like Thomas Jefferson and forgets abolitionist, animal rights promoting, disabled, poor, law breaking, Quakers like Benjamin Lay.

Lay was a deeply religious man and this definitely informed much of his thinking, but not in the usual way we are used to hearing about it doing so. Benjamin not only opposed enslaving people, but also opposed men holding high religious positions who used those positions to accumulate power and wealth. He opposed the exploitation of nonhuman animals, choosing to walk everywhere rather than travel by horse and choosing to eat a mostly vegan diet where he grew most of his food. The only animal products he consumed were honey from the bees in his apiary and some animal dairy.  Benjamin wore modest clothing and refused to partake in products that were produced through slave labor such as sugar. Lay did all of these things- that many people in the developed world with internet access and a credit card find difficult to do today (self included)- in the 17-1800s. 

I will not give away everything told in the book that Benjamin Lay does in his long struggle against pro-slavery Quakers and other slavery proponents. But, I will mention my favorite story, that is nestled in the end of the book as it is a good example of his determination and creativity in his mostly nonviolent activism. Lay attempts to speak to a white couple about their enslavement of a young Black girl. He tries to explain to them how slavery rips families apart and destroys lives. Theyrefuse to listen. Lay eventually sees their child alone and invites the child to his dwelling. He spends time entertaining the happy child for the entirety of the day until finally the parents come running to him, crying that their child is missing. He listens to their story and then tells them that he has had their child all along and now perhaps they understand a tiny fraction of what their enslaved girl's parents must feel at the loss of their daughter.

Benjamin's antics are relentless, unapologetic, and unwavering in the face of extreme resistance, excommunication, loss of community, and ridicule on top of what he already dealt with as a dwarf. His ideas influenced generations after him- including the children of men who would stop at nothing to stop him. Two sons of one such enemy of Lay's both grew up to be abolitionists and ethical vegetarians through inspiration from Lay. The Quakers eventually came around and acknowledged the horrors of slavery- yet they still held through respectability politics that Lay deserved what he got. Lay was the passionate, relentless voice that made many others seem reasonable. He paid the price and really never got credit or redemption he deserved. He made space for white folks that came after him to criticize slavery in real and serious ways- not just the welfarist terms they used previously (treating slaves "well" but supporting slavery.) As Rediker states, we cannot know due to lack of documentation how far Lay went in his hands-on liberation activities with enslaved Africans. Yet, this book offers part of a much larger picture and Rediker definitely does Benjamin Lay's life and work justice.

Also posted to my goodreads.