The Hindered Hand

Book excerpt: The Hindered Hand (1905) is a novel by Sutton E. Griggs. Sutton’s fourth novel is a story of race and identity that explores and critiques the politics of liberalism and assimilation in twentieth century America. Although Griggs’ novels were largely forgotten by the mid-twentieth century, scholars have recently sought to emphasize his role as an activist and author involved with the movement for Black nationalism in the United States. Critics since have recognized Griggs as a pioneering political figure and author whose utopian themes and engagement with contemporary crises constitute some of the era’s most radical literary efforts by an African American writer. The South is changing. In the city of Almaville, a burgeoning Black middle class offers hope to a people oppressed for centuries. Ensal Ellwood, a veteran of the Spanish American War, returns home to a community flowering with possibility yet inextricably rooted in a history of violence. As his political conscience wavers between Black nationalism and assimilation, he meets the beautiful Tiara Marlow, a young woman who has only just arrived in Almaville. When his friend is murdered in cold blood by a white lynch mob, Ensal flees America for Africa, where he is presented with a fateful choice. Engaged with some of the leading social issues of its era—American imperialism, lynching, and the movement for economic and political self-determination in the Black community—The Hindered Hand is a brilliant novel from an underrecognized talent of twentieth century literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Sutton E Griggs’ The Hindered Hand is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.