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A Novel
by DéLana R. A. Dameron
A sweeping family saga about inheritance and the enduring legacy of Southern Black cowboy culture, from the acclaimed author of Redwood Court, a Reese's Book Club Pick.
A sprawling landscape of sand, red clay, and pine trees, South Carolina's Fairfield County is the only place the Bolton family has ever called home. For more than a century, they have cultivated this land, expertly raising horses to compete in derbies and rodeos and passing their knowledge from generation to generation.
But after a devastating tragedy, Dwayne, the next inheritor of the Bolton legacy, buries his family history—particularly from his daughter. Unlike her father, Nikki is a proud, burgeoning horsewoman with no knowledge of her family's connection to the part of her life she's most passionate about. But when a series of events threatens to sever father and daughter from the only land they've ever known, Dwayne is forced to confront his past so that Nikki can step into her future.
With nuance and care, DéLana R. A. Dameron deftly examines her most beloved subjects: the intricacies of family and the powerful forces that shape who we are. Fairfield County is at once a moving exploration of the ties that bind us and a bold reclamation of the American Cowboy—taking this iconic image out of the whitewashed Old West and deep into the heart of the Black South, where it has always resided.
"The captivating story of a Black Southern family of horse trainers is expertly and gracefully told by late poet and novelist [DéLana R. A.] Dameron...Dameron writes about family relationships with insight and elegance, and her characters are layered and empathetic. The author clearly understands the Southern equestrian world, and her writing is evocative and transportive. Give to fans of De'Shawn Charles Winslow and Jacqueline Woodson." —Booklist
"Epic ... With her ear for language and a penchant for historic storytelling, DéLana R. A. Dameron follows a family of legendary Black horse breeders, trainers, and riders in South Carolina through love, heartbreak, ambition, and triumph. Fairfield County is a family saga in the finest tradition." —Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Good Dirt
"A luminous and unforgettable novel. Fairfield County is an Afro-Carolina story, one about people who have held onto the land, raised horses, and embraced the noblest of American inheritances despite facing injustice and cruelty. Vivid, cinematic, and soul-stirring, Fairfield County will resonate with readers far and wide." —Imani Perry, National Book Award winner and author of Black in Blues
This information about Fairfield County was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
DéLana R. A. Dameron is the author of Fairfield County and Redwood Court, a Reese's Book Club pick and a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. She is also the author of two poetry books, How God Ends Us, selected by Elizabeth Alexander for the South Carolina Poetry Book Prize, and Weary Kingdom, chose by Nikky Finney for the Palmetto Poetry Prize. Dameron's work has appeared in Kweli Journal, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Dameron is also the founder of Saloma Acres, an equestrian and cultural space in her home state of South Carolina. She passed away in 2025.
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