Amiable with Big Teeth

Amiable with Big Teeth by Claude McKay

Declined for publication when first written and subsequently lost in an archive for nearly seventy years, Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay’s Amiable with Big Teeth was found in 2009 and finally published in 2017. The novel tells a dimensional political tale of how the Second Italo-Ethiopian War impacted the Harlem community, covering the relationships between various Harlem organizations, the Communists’ attempts to increase membership in their own party and Popular Front, and the complex reality of black life in the 1930’s. Though the novel has weak points—forced and sometimes unbelievable plot turns, lengthy political discussions that baldly evince the author’s own sentiments—this is likely due to its having languished and survived only in manuscript form. The most grating aspect of the novel, which its manuscript form can’t easily explain away, is the flimsy nature of the female lead who ultimately saves the day, though seemingly despite herself. The novel is lively and engrossing enough to mostly overcome these shortcomings, however, presenting an entertaining portrait of Harlem social life as well as sharp political critiques throughout. Subjects this book includes that some readers may be sensitive to (but which others may be thrilled to find sensitively discussed in their literature): racism, misogyny.

For more on the fascinating history of the Italo-Ethiopian war and Communism's effect on 1930s Harlem, read Jennifer Wilson's excellent review of Amiable with Big Teeth here.