The article discusses the historical novel 'Happy Land' by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, which explores a little-known story of formerly enslaved people forming an autonomous community in Appalachia. Perkins-Valdez emphasizes that while some elements may seem fantastical, the novel is rooted in substantial historical fact, backed by archival research. She notes the excitement of discovering these narratives during her research, highlighting the uniqueness of this community, which saw itself as a royal society with a king and queen. This story seeks to illuminate forgotten aspects of Black history.
When I first discovered it, I didn't know whether or not it was true. I wondered if it was local lore, because it was so fantastical.
There's a lot of fact in this novel. I thought I was making up more than I was...and realized there's a lot of fact here.
Some of us know about autonomous, you know, Black communities like the Gullah Geechee...but the idea that this actually existed, how do we know this?
They called themselves royalty. They called themselves a king and a queen, and that part of it was what ignited my imagination.
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