J. McHenry Jones's "Hearts of Gold" is a gripping tale of post-Civil War battles against racism and systemic injustice. Originally published in 1896, this novel reveals an African American community of individuals dedicated to education, journalism, fraternal organizations, and tireless work serving the needs of those abandoned by the political process of the white world. Jones challenges conventional wisdom by addressing a range of subjects--from interracial relationships to forced labor in coal mines--that virtually no other novelist of the time was willing to approach. With the addition...