Of One Blood

Of One Blood (1902-1903) is a novel by Pauline E. Hopkins. Recognized as one of the earliest works of science fiction by an African American writer, Of One Blood was originally published in The Colored American Magazine, America’s first monthly periodical covering African American arts and culture. Combining themes of racial identity and passing within a genre-blending narrative of Gothic horror and the occult, Hopkins weaves a masterful tale of conspiracy, a lost African kingdom, and murder. Struggling with the mental and financial pressures of medical school, Reuel Briggs—a Black man who passes as white—decides to take a night off in order to attend a local concert. There, he sees the singer Dianthe Lusk, a beautiful woman who possess a mysterious aura. The next day, Reuel is called to assist at the scene of a train accident. There, he chances upon Dianthe, who has sustained a blow to the head. Using an experimental form of mesmerism, Reuel brings her back to life, but she seems to b