Spectacle: the Astonishing Life of Ota Benga

Publisher Marketing: 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." Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2015 (EAN 9780062201003, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 04/06/2015 (EAN 9780062201003, Hardcover) Library Journal 04/15/2015 pg. 103 (EAN 9780062201003, Hardcover) Essence 06/01/2015 pg. 34 (EAN 9780062201003, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Newkirk, Pamela 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, White Media, which won the National Press Club Award for media criticism, and the editor of Letters from Black America. She lives in New York City. Contributor Bio:  Turpin, Bahni Bahni Turpin is an ensemble member of the Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles. She has guest starred in many television series, including "NYPD Blue", " Law & Order", " Six Feet Under", " Cold Case", " What about Brian", and "The Comeback". Film credits include "Brokedown Palace", " Crossroads", and "Daughters of the Dust". She received the AudioFile Earphones Award for her narration of "Precious" by Sapphire. She s also a member of the recording cast of "The Help", which won numerous awards.