Of One Blood: or, The Hidden Self

By Pauline Hopkins, Leslie S. Klinger, Eric J. Guignard and Nisi Shawl

"Mysticism, horror, and racial identity merge fluidly in this thrilling tale… The suspense is tangible and the final reveal will leave readers reeling"—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

From groundbreaking Black author Pauline Hopkins comes an uncanny example of classic horror, exploring identity, race, and spirituality

When medical student Reuel Briggs reluctantly attends a performance by the beautiful singer Dianthe Lusk, he can't help but fall for her. The very next day, their paths cross again when Dianthe's train crashes. To bring her back from the brink of death, Reuel draws on an eerie power he can't quite name. Soon, the two are engaged, and Reuel sets off on an archeological expedition to Africa to offset his debts before the wedding. But, in Ethiopia, unexpected danger and terror force him to confront the truth about his lineage, his power, and the disturbing history that lives in his very blood.

First serialized in Colored American Magazine in 1902, this classic fiction exemplifies Pauline Hopkins's incisive writing and interrogates issues of race, blood, and history that remain urgent today.

This edition of Hopkins's classic horror novel is presented by the Horror Writers Association and introduced by award-winning author Nisi Shawl.

Includes notes, biographical information about the author, discussion questions for classroom use, and suggested further reading.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Feb 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781464215070

Pauline Hopkins

Paulene Hopkins was born in 1859 in Portland, Maine, but was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, by her parents Northrup Hopkins and Sarah Allen. Her skill as a writer gained recognition in 1874, when, at the age of fifteen, she received first prize in a contest for her essay titled Evils of Intemperance and Their Remedy. At the age of twenty, she completed her first play, Slaves' Escape, or, The Underground Railroad, which was later performed in a stage production and renamed Peculiar Sam.

Reviews for Of One Blood

[susiebookworm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

On the back it's advertised as being "the story of Reuel Briggs, a medical student who couldn't care less about being black and appreciating African history, but finds himself in Ethiopia...to raid the country of lost treasures," but instead ends up learning "the painful truth about blood, race, and the half of his history that was never told." In actuality, the book, written by an African-American woman in 1902, starts off with Briggs' experiments in spiritualism, incorporating fantasy/science fiction themes, then moves on to an Ethiopian lost world and finishing with a gothic climax. While the main point of the novel is illustrating the lack of difference between the races, it uses an odd, hodgepodge assortment of themes to do so.