Happy Land

De: Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Narrado por: Bahni Turpin, Ashley J. Hobbs

A 2026 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction

A woman learns the incredible story of a real-life American Kingdom—and her family’s ties to it—in this enthralling novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Image Award-winning author of Take My Hand.

As featured in The Washington Post ∙ People ∙ Harper's Bazaar ∙ NPR ∙ TODAY ∙ ELLE ∙ PopSugar ∙ Reader's Digest ∙ SheReads ∙ Woman’s World ∙ Real Simple ∙ BookBrowse ∙ and more!

Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she’s determined to learn the truth while she still can.

But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.

It sounds like the makings of a fairy tale—royalty among a community of freed people. But the more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she discovers in the woods, the more she realizes how much of her identity and her family’s secrets are wrapped up in these hills. Because this land is their legacy, and it will be up to her to protect it before it, like so much else, is stolen away.

Inspired by true events, Happy Land is a transporting multi-generational novel about the stories that shape us and the dazzling courage it takes to dream.

The family knowledge

There was nothing that I disliked about this book. The narrators were good and the story was a powerful reminder of family, history, disappointments, reconciliation and how knowing the past can propel you into your future.

Exceptionally Moving and Inspiring

This historically based novel hurts and heals, infuriates and inspires with a wonderful family saga woven across more than a century. The causes of the racial wealth gap are exposed. The characters are so amazingly relatable that I cried and then my sighted and I committed to doing better in our family. I loved it.

Excellent!

A well written novel. I love the way the author gives us a history lesson through an entertaining story. I cannot wait for the her next book release!

A Story of Resilience, Legacy and Love

I was struck by the resemblance of the story line to my family who settled in the foothills of NC-Rutherford County. The names of the main characters were almost identical to my ancestors. My family possessed land and were successful farmers. I especially love the historical fiction presentation. It portrays the resilience and industriousness of people of color who only want to be respected, work hard, achieve and experience self reliance.

the love and fight the family showed for their love

The treachery used to steal the family land and the extent used to keep the family land. The disbelief of some family in the belief that Black family members could be seen as royalty