Winona

Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest (19902-1903) is a novel by African American author Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins. Originally published in The Colored American Magazine, America’s first monthly periodical covering African American arts and culture, Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest is a groundbreaking novel that addresses themes of race and colonization from the perspective of a young girl of mixed descent.

As white settlers moved westward across North America, they not only displaced the indigenous population, but brought into contact peoples from opposite ends of Earth. On an island in the middle of Lake Erie, White Eagle—recently displaced after the dissolution of the Buffalo Creek reservation—has built a home for himself and his African American wife. Adopting her son Judah, White Eagle establishes a life for his family apart from the prejudices and violence of American life. A daughter, Winona, is born soon after, and grows to be proud of her rich cultural heritage. When two white hunters stumble upon the island, however, and when White Eagle is soon found dead, his family is left to the mercy of an uncaring, hostile nation. Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest is a heartbreaking work of historical fiction from a true pioneer of American literature, a woman whose talent and principles afforded her the vision necessary for illuminating the injustices of life in a nation founded on slavery and genocide.

This edition of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins’ Winona: A Tale of Negro Life in the South and Southwest is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

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With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.