Margaret_H

Happy Land combines history and storytelling: a pleasure to read. All the characters - worthy, unworthy, kind, cruel - are fully-fleshed and believable.

The Kingdom of the Happy Land is created during Reconstruction, when ex-slaves discovered that their new right to vote did not guarantee independence. Forming separate, independent communities becomes one alternative to living under inequity. Through the inhabitants of Happy Land that we learn the difficulties and the triumphs of such efforts. There is a time jump to the modern-day heirs of the kingdom who, for the most part, do not know about the richness of their heritage.

The history component contains a warning to property owners and would-be property owners to check paperwork in case of legal loopholes concerning ownership. The author's notes make the story even more worthwhile.

I recommend this clever book to writing students for its skillful weaving of a compelling tale with a real-world backbone, and to history students for its research methodology.