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cover of episode 'Happy Land' was inspired by a real-life kingdom of formerly enslaved people

'Happy Land' was inspired by a real-life kingdom of formerly enslaved people

2025/4/24
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Dolen Perkins-Valdez
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Dolen Perkins-Valdez: 我的小说《快乐之地》以真实历史为基础，讲述了一个逃离奴役的非裔美国人社区的故事。小说既有虚构成分，也有大量史实依据。我参考了历史文献和档案资料，力求还原这段鲜为人知的历史。我不仅想纠正一些长期以来被误解的历史事实，更想探讨这个社区的建立和兴衰对非裔美国人的意义，以及土地所有权对他们身份认同和精神归属的象征意义。小说中，我采用了双线叙事结构，穿插讲述当代人物Nikki和‘快乐之地’女王Luella的故事，展现了历史与现实的交织，以及家族秘密对个人命运的影响。Nikki的经历象征着许多非裔美国人的身份认同困境，以及对历史和根源的追寻。 Michelle Martin: 小说中，‘快乐之地’王国的兴衰，以及其最终的土地丧失，象征着美国黑人历史中土地流失的普遍现象。这提醒我们，历史正在不断流逝，我们应该珍惜和传承历史，向长辈们询问他们的故事，避免历史的遗忘。 Nikki: 我一直生活在一个很小的家庭圈子里，没有兄弟姐妹，也没有表亲。我来到北卡罗来纳州是为了帮助祖母，却意外地发现了自己与‘快乐之地’王国的联系。这让我开始思考家庭、归属感和土地的意义，以及我与这片土地的联系。 Luella: 作为‘快乐之地’的女王，我经历了建立和守护这个社区的艰辛。我们逃离了奴隶制的压迫和种族暴力的威胁，在山区建立了自己的家园，拥有自己的土地和规则。我们努力创造一个自由平等的社会，但最终还是没能抵挡住历史的洪流。我们的故事，是许多非裔美国人共同经历的缩影。

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When Nikki travels to visit her grandmother in western North Carolina, she expects answers about her family's history. But instead, she uncovers her connection to the Kingdom of the Happy Land, a community of formerly enslaved people. Dolen Perkins-Valdez's new novel *Happy Land *follows Nikki as she delves deeper into family secrets. The author says she was inspired by the true story of an autonomous Black community that once lived in the mountains of Appalachia. In today's episode, Perkins-Valdez joins NPR's Michel Martin for a conversation about how the author first heard of this little-known chapter in North Carolina history.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)