The Life of William Apess, Pequot

by Philip F. Gura Narrated by Traber Burns

Overview

The Pequot Indian intellectual, author, and itinerant preacher William Apess was one the most important voices of the nineteenth century. Here, Philip F. Gura offers the first book-length chronicle of Apess' fascinating and consequential life.

After an impoverished childhood marked by abuse, Apess soldiered with American troops during the War of 1812, converted to Methodism, and rose to fame as a lecturer who lifted a powerful voice of protest against the plight of Native Americans in New England and beyond. His 1829 autobiography, A Son of the Forest, stands as the first published by a Native American writer.

Placing Apess' activism on behalf of Native American people in the context of the era's rising tide of abolitionism, Gura argues that this founding figure of Native intellectual history deserves greater recognition in the pantheon of antebellum reformers.

Following Apess from his early life through the development of his political radicalism to his tragic early death and enduring legacy, this much-needed biography showcases the accomplishments of an extraordinary Native American.

Editorial Reviews

author of Removable Type Phillip Round

The Life of William Apess, Pequot is more than just a biography; it is an investigation into how the underrepresented intellectual communities of early American people…as they grappled with race, freedom, and land tenure…A much-needed contribution to our understanding of early America and its Native societies.”

Library Journal (starred review)

This outstanding biography is essential reading for those interested in either Native American studies or American literature.”

Lawrence Buell

By far the most thorough cultural-historical reconstruction to date of the life, career, and significance of antebellum New England’s most important Native American writer-activist.”

Booklist

Well-researched and enlightening.”

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In his engaging, insightful, and thoroughly detailed biography…Gura’s storytelling draws us naturally into this fascinating life of a man who strove to claim a place for himself and his people in this new nation.”

award–winning Native American poet Simon J. Ortiz

Brings to life a legendary and mythic figure in American letters…a player in the dynamic history of Indigenous New England and the nation as a whole. I love this work and I recommend it highly.”

From the Publisher

“An important and timely biography. . . . Contributes significantly to the rediscovery of Apess.” — American Indian Culture and Research Journal

“Sheds light on the complicated and conflicted nature of nineteenth-century American society, particularly in relation to issues of race and citizenship.” — NAIS: Journal of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association

“Gura makes a compelling case for ranking Apess among well-known nineteenth-century figures who shared his commitment to what we might now call social justice. . . . Make[s] the most of limited historical evidence to bring a truly exceptional figure to life.” — Journal of the Early Republic

“Gura’s work on Apess is truly groundbreaking, and I can’t imagine a biography, Lopenzima’s or any other, superseding it in Apess scholarship.”—American Indian Quarterly

“Engaging and well researched. . . . Sophisticated and accessible, especially as a work of Indian-white history.” — Reviews in American History

“An engaging, insightful, and thoroughly detailed biography.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Engaging well researched . . .sophisticated and accessible.” — - American History

“Well-researched and enlightening.” — Booklist

“This outstanding biography is essential reading for those interested in either Native American studies or American literature.” — Library Journal, starred review

“A readable book that belongs in all undergraduate collections.” — CHOICE

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169836820
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	03/02/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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