Dolen Perkins-Valdez- Happy Land (Podcast Interview)

Dolen Perkins-Valdez shares the riveting history behind her new book, Happy Land, the research surprises she uncovered, and how urgency drives her storytelling.

In today’s Book Gang episode, New York Times bestselling author Dolen Perkins-Valdez joins me to discuss Happy Land, a transporting novel inspired by the true story of a lost kingdom built by freed people in the hills of North Carolina. This dual-timeline story explores land, lineage, and the courage it takes to reclaim what is yours.

Dolen’s excavation process informs this sweeping novel—even uncovering a few historical inaccuracies along the way. The result is a stunning celebration of Black heritage and a poignant reclamation of overlooked American history that has captivated her readers.

In this moving conversation, Dolen and I discuss:

Why Dolen feels an urgency behind each book she writes—and how it drives her to shape her manuscripts
The immersive research that brought the Kingdom community to life, including conversations with local historians and surprising archival discoveries.
How the concept of royalty and reclamation shaped the story—and why the roles of Black women in these communities are long overdue for deeper recognition.

Best Historical Fiction Book Club Books from MomAdvice.com

BONUS BOOK LIST: This week, I’m sharing a companion list of 27 Historical Fiction Book Club Books to Check Out Now, featuring new releases and timeless backlist picks that will spark incredible conversations within your book club.

Happy Land Book Summary

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.

Meet Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the New York Times bestselling author of Wench, Balm, Take My Hand, and her newest novel, Happy Land. Her work has earned honors from the NAACP, the American Bar Association, and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and she’s been recognized as one of the most vital voices chronicling American historical life.

In addition to her writing, Dolen is an associate professor of literature at American University. She has introduced modern editions of Twelve Years a Slave and Behind the Scenes, bringing an unflinching dedication to uncovering hidden histories and amplifying overlooked Black stories. She lives in Washington, DC, with her family.

Dolen Perkins-Valdez Writes Like Every Book Is Her Last

Mentioned in this episode:

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BONUS BOOK LIST: 27 Historical Fiction Book Club Books For Your Next Meeting

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Take My Hand Book Club Discussion on Patreon

Ocean Vuong

Black History Research Committee

Sadie Smathers Patton

The Black Utopians by Aaron Robertson

Blue Ridge Archive Web Exhibit

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson