Book: Happy Land
Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Reviewer’s Instagram: darrireadsbooks
Photo Credit: darrireadsbooks
Original Book Review
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez #BerkleyPartner #Berkley
Thank you so much to @berkleypub for the free book!
Pub Date: April 8, 2025
What an incredible book! Dolen Perkins-Valdez has such a way with words and storytelling. Happy Land is the story of free people that built their own kingdom with it’s own King and Queen. One of my biggest takeaways from this story is that your dreams are never too far out of reach and to keep you imagination alive. Even the most far-fetched can become a reality.
This is a multi-generational story told from the perspective of Nikki, who has been called by her grandmother, Mother Rita, for help in North Carolina. We also get the POV of Luella, Nikki’s great-great-great grandmother and the Queen of Happy Land.
I really love the dual timelines of the story and how everything connected. Nikki really grew as a person, starting as someone who felt somewhat lost and complacent, while still wanting more for herself and her own daughter. By the end of the story she grew so much and found a new life coming into her own. It’s never too late to find yourself and find new things to fulfill you. As stubborn as Mother Rita was, I think the bond she forms with Nikki in the short time was beautiful. My favorite part of the story was always Luella’s POV. Luella was a young girl and she was thrust into the role as Queen. She has a fascinating story and she became major influence in her community.
This book was also very informative. It made me think of landownership and how much has been lost from our ancestors due to shady business and laws. In the author’s note alone I feel like I learned a lot lol. I definitely find this subject really interesting and I find it especially interesting that Happy Land was a real place. I had never heard of this Kingdom until I read this book and I’m excited to learn more about it in general.
