Ask anyone what defines Southern literature, and the answer is likely to include the importance of place – the land from which our stories spring. But for years now, I’ve wrestled with how many stories have been excluded from this regional designation, how many people have lived just as fully off the land even as they were denied the right to call that land their own.

Memphis native Dolen Perkins-Valdez knows this disconnect. In the author’s note to her triumphant new novel Happy Land, she writes, “This relationship to the land is fundamental to how we Southerners view ourselves,” even as she explores the systems of oppression that have made that relationship impossible for so many: “Black folks lost their land in all kinds of predatory ways. Racial terror. Lynching. Intentionally increased taxes that they couldn’t afford. And sometimes outright theft. Some estimate that African Americans lost nearly 90 percent of their land over the course of the twentieth century.”

Happy Land traces one family’s history across multiple generations, focusing primarily on two narrative strands. The first is set in the present and features Washington, D.C., real estate agent Nikki Lovejoy-Berry and her estranged grandmother Mother Rita, the last remaining descendant of the Kingdom of the Happy Land, a large settlement in the mountainous region straddling North and South Carolina. The settlement was established in 1873 by a group of formerly enslaved people who fled Klan violence and reclaimed the royal legacy left behind when they were forcibly displaced from Africa. Intertwined with Nikki’s efforts to save Mother Rita from eviction after a property dispute erases her claim to her land is the story of Luella, Nikki’s great-great-great-grandmother and Happy Land’s original queen.

Luella was the first in a long line of strong women who have passed wisdom and strength to their daughters, often in the form of stories. When Nikki asks Mother Rita how she knows so much about Happy Land, a part of history barely recognized by scholars, Mother Rita replies, “Because my mama told me and her mama told her. Much as I love the historical record, it doesn’t have all the answers, especially when it comes to our stories. Some history passed from mouth to mouth. Some history came down in the form of a mother’s whisper.”

But just as that generational knowledge can be preserved, it can also be lost. Losing the Kingdom of Happy Land, Nikki muses, “meant we’ve lost connection as a family and our knowledge of ancestral legacy. We’re no longer stewards of the land. Mama no longer puts her hands in the earth, and neither do any of us descendants. Maybe if we still owned a place for repair and refuge, we wouldn’t have crumbled into pieces as a family.”

The yearslong rift between Mother Rita and Nikki’s mother, Lorelle, goes unexplained for much of the novel. But as Mother Rita’s situation grows more dire and her health issues come to light, four generations of Lovejoy women — Rita, Lorelle, Nikki, and her daughter Shawnie — are reunited, and the historical hurts are exposed. Lorelle, an accountant who escaped her small-town upbringing as soon as she could, doesn’t understand Rita’s ties to the land: “What difference does it make if we lose it? None of us is moving back here to this old scrubby mountain, anyhow.” Rita’s response is a forceful rebuke: “It makes a whole hell of a difference, Lorelle. It’s our legacy! This land made us who we are!”

With Nikki as a bridge, the elder Lovejoy women can begin to heal, and Nikki can begin to discover a vision of herself informed by her ancestry. Earlier, as she tries to help her mother understand why believing in the kingdom matters so much, she explains, “I realized that maybe I would’ve done different if I’d known I was descended from royalty. Maybe I would’ve gone to college or dreamed bigger.” Through her time with Mother Rita and with the drumbeat of Luella’s story in her ears, Nikki understands that she isn’t trapped in her present and that she can make her own way into the future.

Though the Kingdom of Happy Land has remained mostly hidden from record, it was a real place and represents countless true stories of Black Southerners whose ties to the land are as deep as any found in the pages of William Faulkner or Flannery O’Connor. Perkins-Valdez’s significant research infuses every page of the novel, informing Luella’s story with rich details like the healing liniment the women make and sell and the steps they took to build and prosper their kingdom. She describes Happy Land as “both a literal and metaphorical manifestation of a people’s desire to rise into their full humanity.”

This desire, reflected in Mother Rita’s fierce fight to preserve her family’s legacy and in Nikki’s hope to grow something new for herself, resonates across time, proving once again how necessary it is to remain tied to the stories and the land that made us.

Happy Land is a beautifully written dual-timeline historical fiction novel that explores land ownership, family legacy, and racial injustice. Rooted in the true story of Black land loss in America, the novel follows Luella, a Black landowner in early 1900s Alabama fighting to protect her farm, and her descendants navigating the echoes of that struggle in the present day.

This book was stunning. Every time I picked it up, I found myself flying through large chunks, completely absorbed. The writing? Gorgeous. The story? Thoughtful and necessary. I especially appreciated how boldly it tackled the theft of Black land and the sheer audacity of white folks when it comes to systemic oppression—whew, the nerve!

Between the two POVs, Luella’s was the one that truly captured my heart. If I’m being honest, I wish the ending had hit harder—it felt a bit rushed and didn’t match the emotional weight of the rest of the book. I also would’ve loved more time with the present-day family to build a deeper connection. That said, Dolen Perkins-Valdez is that girl when it comes to historical fiction. She’s an auto-buy author for me, and if you haven’t read Take My Hand yet, you’re missing out!

4 stars from me—just shy of perfect, but still absolutely worth reading.

Happy Land was another winner from Dolen Perkins-Valdez. WOW. Based on her own family history, I'm certain readers will be surprised at the Kingdom of the Carolina hill country. Highly enjoyed.

I fell in love with Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s writing and her storytelling a couple of years ago when I read Take My Hand, so I was eager to get my hands (and my ears) on a copy of her latest book, Happy Land. I was especially excited to dive into this new book because it’s historical fiction inspired by an actual African kingdom that existed in the U.S. for a short time following the abolition of slavery.

This is a multi-generational story that unfolds in a dual timeline and that is also dual POV, and I Ioved this. In the present timeline we meet Nikki, who has been summoned to NC by her estranged grandmother Rita. Nikki has come, hoping to facilitate a reconciliation between her mother and grandmother. Rita is clearly hiding something but tells Nikki the story of her great-great-great grandmother Luella, Queen of the Kingdom of the Happy Land, which turns out to be the very land that Rita is currently living on, land that Rita says is being threatened and must be protected at all costs.

In the past timeline, we meet Queen Luella herself, and we actually get to see through her eyes a pretty vivid picture of the history of the Kingdom of the Happy Land. I appreciated the author’s extensive research and attention to detail in this timeline.

I also thought the author did a great job making timelines equally compelling, and I also loved that both timelines showcased the strength and resilience of the women in this family.

I always love when a person looks to connect with their roots so Nikki looking to connect with her grandmother but then finding this unexpected family history tied to this land just made this even more my kind of read.

After reading Take My Hand by this author, it was a no-brainer that I had to pick up this story! Happy Land is a historical fiction novel centered around a Kingdom of African Americans nestled in the hills of Appalachia, North Carolina—and the legacy they built and left behind for future generations.

This was a thought-provoking story. It starts off a bit slow, but once it picks up, it’s filled with drama, hope, and the beauty of having something to call your own. If you’ve read about heir property, this book touches on that topic—something I’ve been learning more about through my reading over the past year.

This was such a great read that beautifully explores the importance of family, community, and the hope for something better.

Happy Land was such a great read! I’m still fairly new to historical fiction, but this book gave me everything I was looking for… and more. I had never heard of the Kingdom of the Happy Land before, so this story was not only powerful, but also a real history lesson. I ended up going down the rabbit hole doing my own research.

I really enjoyed both Nikki and Luella’s stories, and I loved how the author connected the past and present so beautifully. The way the story unfolded across generations was perfect.

I’m falling in love with historical fiction,and I’m already looking forward to reading The American Queen by Vanessa Miller next!

4.5 ⭐
Dolen Perkins-Valdez can certainly take an event from history and turn it into a fantastic novel. I enjoyed learning about something that I didn't know about. I loved the dual timelines and the strong women that were a part of each timeline. It was very well researched and beautiful writing. I highly recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for the advanced digital copy of the book.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read this book and to PRH Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version!

I love learning things through reading historical fiction, and this book was no exception to that. I was unaware that some communities (or in this case, “kingdoms”) were created/settled by former slaves in the US in the years after the Civil War. That’s the best thing I can really say about this book, unfortunately. I found it to be rather slow-moving and boring, bouncing between two timelines: the late 1800s and the present day. I was much more interested in the historical timeline, as is often the case for me with a dual timeline novel.

The community of Happy Land was referred to as a kingdom, and the people did name a king and a queen, but they didn’t seem to have any power, other than leadership in general. There was, essentially, a town council who made all the decisions - and that was all-male at first (not surprising). I was pleased to read that the men eventually opened up the council to women, which was pretty progressive for that time and place.

The modern timeline featured a woman, Nikki or Veronica, who is finding out about her heritage while visiting her long-estranged grandmother, who has been living on land that was once part of this so-called kingdom. There’s discussion over real estate laws and how most of the former kingdom land was lost through various legal means over the decades. There’s a mystery over why Veronica’s mother and grandmother were estranged, but the big reveal was a let-down.

The audiobook was narrated by two talented narrators: Bahni Turpin and Ashley J. Hobbs, but even they couldn’t breathe enough life into this story for me.

My heart is so full after reading Happy Land. This story touches on so many themes that hit close to home; the power of community, the fight to preserve what’s rightfully ours, and the resistance that comes with simply existing as Black people in a world that often tries to erase us.

What struck me most was how the book emphasized not just building community, but uplifting that community by reminding its people of their inherent worth; establishing themselves as kings and queens. That kind of reclamation is powerful.

And the fact that this is inspired by a true story? Even more impactful.

Huge thanks to @berkleypub, @berkleyromance, and @acebookspub for sharing this gem with me.

I loved the last book I read by Perkins-Valdez, Take My Hand, so I jumped at the chance to preview her newest book. I wasn’t disappointed. Like Take My Hand, this book shines a light on fascinating history that would otherwise go unnoticed by most of us. It’s exactly the kind of historical fiction I like, with great attention to detail, rich characters and an interesting, largely true story.

In this book, Nikki, in her forties, is a struggling DC realtor who is concerned about her daughter’s lack of direction. Nikki is asked to visit her estranged grandmother (Mother Rita) in Henderson County, North Carolina. Rita has something she needs help with, and Nikki is desperate to find out why her mother and grandmother aren’t speaking to each other. She thinks resolving some of her family’s issues might help them all.

Rita wants to make sure Nikki understands the importance of the land she lives on, which was once called the Kingdom of the Happy Land. It was founded by a group of former slaves fleeing the violence of the Klan in South Carolina. They fled to a remote mountain, befriended the white Widow Davis who owned most of the land in the area, and created a community where they worked the land for the benefit of their community. They called it a kingdom based on the passed-down stories of life in Africa. William Montgomery, with his brother Robert, led the people to the area and became their King. He married Luella Bobo (Rita’s great great grandmother) who became their Queen. After being enslaved and facing violence and terrorism, they just want to be left alone, to support themselves and determine their own fates.

Perkins-Valdez tells this story through Luella’s eyes as well as Nikki’s, who begins researching her family history and develops a connection to the land. I don’t always like dual timeline stories, because often one of the stories isn’t well-developed or just feels like a framing device. In this book, while the history of the past certainly impacts the present, the family in present-day is facing a new issue. Rita is facing a challenge to her ownership of her family’s land, despite her family living on this land for generations, due to heirs’ property laws. This occurs when property is transferred to multiple family members as “tenants in common”, often without a will. This leaves the heirs without clear title and the property is vulnerable to being sold to predatory developers. This issue tends to impact black, indigenous and poor families, who are unable (or unwilling) to obtain legal services.

Throughout this novel, Perkins-Valdez weaves a storyline that shows us how hard it has been for black people in the U.S. to maintain property, and the many different ways they’ve been cheated out of property they fought so hard for.

Another book on heirs’ property and its economic impacts is Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris, which also plays on the themes of kingship and family ties. I didn’t like how violent this book was, but its story is an important one.

Nikki is a well-developed character who grows significantly over the course of the book, and I love the idea that learning about her ancestors inspires her to challenge herself. Nikki was being pulled by not one or two generations, but three. She tries to accommodate everyone but can’t possibly succeed, in this family of stubborn women. They love each other but that love isn’t easy. I think middle-aged main characters are unusual in fiction. I see a lot of protagonists in their late twenties and lately I’ve seen more elderly main characters, but women in their forties and fifties don’t seem common in fiction.

One of my criteria for judging a book is whether the characters are all bad or all good. I particularly noticed that the men in this book were complicated and neither saints nor villains. Brothers Robert and William certainly have their share of issues but their treatment of Luella is understandable, and she’s not perfect either. Nikki has an ex-husband who is supportive of her and involved in their daughter’s life.

You can find out more about Perkins-Valdez here; I plan on reading everything in her backlist. I just learned that she’s a local author, teaching at American University, so maybe I can connect with her. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Berkley Press for the advanced review copy. This book published April 8, 2025.

“You know what was impossible? Walking up that mountain and making a home. You know what else was impossible? Becoming a Black queen in the United States of America. Don’t tell me about impossible”

First off, thank you @berkleypub for the free advanced readers copy of this book. #berkleypartner

Now let’s jump into the review.

Starting off I really expected to love this one, but ultimately it did not live up to my expectations.

This does not mean it was bad, in fact there are a number of elements I enjoyed, such as:

1. I love the authors writing style.

2. The symmetry between the two time periods and how that aided in the character development of the two narrators, Luella and Nikki. It was a treat to see the parallels between these two characters with the added influence of Mother Rita.

3. I loved how the author explored the themes of generation legacy and how that feeds into identity.

So why only 3 stars?

It was boring and forgettable. Plain and simple, the middle part of the story was boring and ultimately I can’t see myself even remembering this book in a year or two.

Beginning, fantastic. The ending, perfect. But that middle part was lacklustre at best and it lacked impact.

Not everyone is going to feel this way, and I can see others really enjoying it. So, if you would like to know more, swipe right for the synopsis.

Another 5 ⭐️ for the books. I loved Take My Hand when I read it and now Happy Land is also a fave. The history behind this story you felt like you were there. After reading this it made me want to look into my familial history and learn about my ancestors. I can’t wait to go to the author event and hear the author discuss this book.

This is my first Dolen Perkins-Valdez novel and man it was a treat. A dual timeline historical fiction novel is going to do it for me every time. Mother Rita and Luella were my favorite character. I'm also learning that this is based in real life (I'm about to do so much research). This book is timely for the world's current state of affairs. I can't gush about this story enough and Dolen Perkins-Valdez definitely gained a new fan.

This book is based on the true story of The Kingdom of the Happy Land, where formerly enslaved people created a sort of commune led by a "king" and "queen" in Henderson County, NC (where I live). The story is fascinating and I'm sad I didn't learn about it sooner (especially considering I grew up here). I think the author did a great job of bringing it to life, and imagining what Luella, William, and Robert's lives and relationships could have been like.

She has done it again. A riveting fiction book based on real historical events and places. Both hopeful/uplifting and sad. Truly a work of art.

The story is woven in such a way that the characters leap off the page and you feel their pain, joy and fears, but also as if you know them. However, the same is true for the plot and how it weaves through more than just the dual timeline.

Advanced reader copy provided by Berkley and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

What if your family’s biggest secret was a lost kingdom—and you were its heir?

When Nikki receives a sudden call from her estranged grandmother, Mother Rita, she returns to the hills of western North Carolina, hoping for answers to years of family silence. What she gets instead is a story that unearths a forgotten past: a once-thriving kingdom (intentional community) founded by freed Black people, where her great-great-great-grandmother, Luella, reigned as queen. What begins as a curious tale slowly reveals itself as a vital thread in the tapestry of Nikki’s identity.

The novel unfolds in dual timelines, but it’s the historical narrative that truly captured me. Luella’s ascent to a position of leadership, the birth of a community built on hope and resilience, and Mother Rita’s unyielding fight to protect that family legacy, are all delivered with grace and emotional depth (with a bit of unexpected relationship drama mixed in). The historical narrative pulses with life, giving voice to a group that had been mainly kept alive in history primarily through the power of story-telling.

Nikki’s journey is one of quiet transformation. As she wrestles with family expectations and her own ambitions, we witness her growing into purpose. Immersing herself in Mother Rita’s world—what remains of their family’s legacy—she finds connection, community, and clarity. The novel also gently underscores the healing power of intergenerational dialogue—the kind that unearths buried truths and bridges long-standing divides.

With themes of love, legacy, and the long shadow of generational trauma, Happy Land doesn’t just tell a story—it resurrects one. For Black families in particular, the novel shines a poignant light on the loss (often theft) of generational wealth and heritage, and the resilience it takes to reclaim both.
Meticulous research and emotional resonance add palpable texture to the story. It’s a testament to the strength of women, the roots that anchor, and how connecting to your past can add meaning to your life in unexpected ways.

This is one of those stories that teaches while it entertains, encouraging you to learn more for yourself once you finish reading it and take care in how your own story will ultimately be told.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this one!

Many thanks to Berkley & NetGalley for the eARC.

I want to tell everyone to read this book. Not only does it tell a piece of history that we should know about, but it gives meaning and reasoning to knowing where you come from. Told in dual timelines, a complete and nuanced story is told about finding your family and identity, fighting against years of injustice. I absolutely loved Mother Rita from page 1 and couldn't help root for Nikki throughout her own journey of coming into the legacy of her family.
A compelling, well written novel. Highly recommend to fans of historical fiction and family drama.

I received an early digital copy to read and review.

Short synopsis: Nikki goes to North Carolina to help Mother Rita who is being evicted from her home. She learns the history of her Ancestors as they embrace freedom from slavery and create a Kingdom on the land at stake.

My thoughts: I learned so much from this book, and had to frequently take time to sit with my thoughts. This is based on real parts of history that I knew nothing about, stories of people who had their land taken from them unfairly.

I really loved how seamlessly the past and present timelines intertwined with each other, weaving an unforgettable story. I especially loved Luella’s story and how she took so many strides paving the way for future generations of women. I loved how the community of the Kingdom looked to her for opinions in important matters.

Read if you love:
* Multigenerational stories
* Family history
* Black history
* Heir property and land ownership

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a riveting historical fiction novel inspired by the true story of a community of formerly enslaved people that made a community of their own in Appalachia. This novel goes between the past and present as it follows the perspectives of a woman (past) and her descendant (present). I really like that this story mainly focuses on the women of this family and how strong they are and how much they do for their family. The story starts off in the present as we follow Nikki, who is visiting her grandma in North Carolina for the first time. Her grandma, Mother Rita, tells her about their family legacy. About how their ancestors were queen and king of Kingdom of the Happy Land, the very land on which they stand. When we follow the ancestor's- Luella's- POV, we see how she and many other former slaves made their way from South Carolina to North Carolina and how they worked hard in order to buy their own land.
This is also a family centered book, so I like that we get to see the relationships the women have with people that shapes their lives and how they’re not always perfect, but it still turns out okay. Nikki is determined to find out why Mother Rita and her own mom don't talk anymore, because she can see how it affects her relationships with them as well as her own daughter.
One of the main conflicts of the story is the loss of land wealth and how large of an impact it has on the racial economic disparity in America. Throughout the story, the reason for Mother Rita's sudden call to Nikki is revealed. Unfortunately, she has lost the rights to the land that their ancestors had acquired for them and is being evicted. This is reflective of the very real problem of many African Americans losing hundreds of billions of dollars of generational wealth in America, be it through illegal or technically legal, but manipulative means. Originally, the family bought 205 acres in the late 1800s which was then reduced to 50 acres when a white lawyer manipulated them out of their land. These 50 acres still contained the Kingdom and was the inherited land Mother Rita was losing.
Without spoiling too much, I'll just say everything worked out for the family in the past and the present. Everyone was safe and reconciled and able to be in peace. Luella left her family an amazing legacy that they would always be proud of. Nikki was able to mend the tension between the family relationships and keep spreading the legacy of Kingdom of the Happy Land. I loved this book and I was so glad that both timelines ended on a good note. This was an extremely informative historical fiction that revolves around family, legacy, and Black excellence. Perkins-Valdez is a talented writer who has a way with words and kept me wondering how the story would turn out, and I look forward to reading more of her works.

I was a huge fan of Dolen Perkins-Valdez's last book, Take My Hand so her newest novel, Happy Land was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025! Thanks to @berkleypub and @prhaudio I was able to read this one early!

Happy Land is based on a true story of a group of formerly enslaved people who created their own Kingdom. This multi-generational story tells of Nikki and her ancestor Luella and the history of the kingdom and their family. I thought the storytelling was beautiful and the story was captivating. I enjoyed the audio narrated by Bahni Turpin and Ashley J. Hobbs. And last but not least, this cover is one of the most gorgeous covers l've seen lately!!