Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga book by Pamela Newkirk
By Pamela Newkirk2016 NAACP Image Award Winner Winner of the 2016 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Nonfiction An award-winning journalist reveals a little-known and shameful episode in American history, when an African man was used as a human zoo exhibit—a shocking story of racial prejudice, science, and tragedy in the early years of the twentieth century in the tradition of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Devil in the White City, and Medical Apartheid. In 1904, Ota Benga, a young Congolese “pygmy”—a person of petite stature—arrived from central Africa and was featured in an anthropology exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Two years later, the New York Zoological Gardens displayed him in its Monkey House, caging the slight 103-pound, 4-foot 11-inch tall man with an orangutan. The attraction became an international sensation, drawing thousands of New Yorkers and commanding headlines from across the nation and Europe. Spectacle explores the circumstances of Ota Benga’s captivity, the international controversy it inspired, and his efforts to adjust to American life. It also reveals why, decades later, the man most responsible for his exploitation would be hailed as his friend and savior, while those who truly fought for Ota have been banished to the shadows of history. Using primary historical documents, Pamela Newkirk traces Ota’s tragic life, from Africa to St. Louis to New York, and finally to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he lived out the remainder of his short life. Illuminating this unimaginable event, Spectacle charts the evolution of science and race relations in New York City during the early years of the twentieth century, exploring this racially fraught era for Africa-Americans and the rising tide of political disenfranchisement and social scorn they endured, forty years after the end of the Civil War. Shocking and compelling Spectacle is a masterful work of social history that raises difficult questions about racial prejudice and discrimination that continue to haunt us today. Published By Amistad on 2015-06-02
Book details
- Paperback
- 336 pages
- English
- 006220100X
- 9780062201003
About Pamela Newkirk
pamela newkirk is an award-winning journalist and a professor of journalism at new york university. she is the author of within the veil: black journalists Read More about Pamela Newkirk
More Books By Pamela Newkirk
People who bought this also bought
The Rock of Chickamauga: The Life and Career of General George H. Thomas by Charles River Editors
Used Book
Sis, Don't Settle: How to Stay Smart in Matters of the Heart book by Faith Jenkins
New Book
Topical Memory System: Life Issues, Hide God's Word in Your Heart
Used Book
The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love By Tim LaHaye
New Book
The Pocket Stylist: Behind-the-Scenes Expertise from a Fashion Pro on Creating Your Own Look
Used Book
Breaking the Illusions: Sicily Kariuki A Memoir book by Sicily Kariuki
New Book
The Complete Dog Book: The Photograph, History, and Official Standard of Every Breed Admitted to AKC Registration, and the Selection, Training, Breeding, Care, and Feeding of Pure-bred Dogs
Like New
I'm Alive and the Doctor's Dead : Surviving Cancer with Your Sense of Humor and Your Sexuality Intact
Used Book
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job book by Sally Helgesen
New Book
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Mothers & Daughters: 101 Inspirational and Entertaining Stories about That Special Bond book by Jack Canfield
New Book
The Portable MBA Desk Reference: An Essential Business Companion by Paul A. Argenti
Used Book
The Girlfriends' Guide to Getting Your Groove Back: Loving Your Family Without Losing Your Mind
Used Book
American Renaissance: Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and Whitman
Used Book
Dancing with Cuba: A Memoir of the Revolution book by Alma Guillermoprieto
Used Book
The Confidence Game: The Psychology of the Con and Why We Fall for It Every Time book by Maria Konnikova
New Book
#VERYFAT #VERYBRAVE: The Fat Girl's Guide to Being #Brave and Not a Dejected, Melancholy, Down-in-the-Dumps Weeping Fat Girl in a Bikini book by Nicole Byer
New Book
The Skeptical Feminist: Discovering the Virgin, Mother, and Crone
Used Book
Butter Comes From Butterflies: When I was a kid, I used to believe. . . book by Mat Connolley
Used Book
Focal Point: A Proven System to Simplify Your Life, Double Your Productivity, and Achieve All Your Goals book by Brian Tracy
New Book
Finishing Strong : Going the Distance for your Family book by Steve Farrar
New Book
Disneyland's Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Disneyland Resort's Best-Kept Secrets
Used Book
F for Effort: More of the Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers book by Richard Benson
Used Book