Land ownership and land loss are central to this story. What did you know about heirs property before reading the novel? How do you think the impact of land loss still reverberates through today's society? What might be done to address it?

Book Clubs Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
1

The concepts of land ownership and land loss are central to this story. What, if anything, did you know about heirs property before reading the novel? How do you think the impact of land loss still reverberates through today’s society? What might be done to address it?

2

I didn’t know about heirs property before reading this. My family never owned land, just the parcel that our house was on. My generational wealth came through earned income and investments. So I really can’t relate to land loss and the impact on families.

3

I actually knew quite a lot about it from a book I read a few years ago: Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris. I did a lot of digging as I read that one, and the author did a great job explaining what exactly heirs property is, and how it’s one of several strategies used to deprive Black families of their land (even today!).

4

I just want to say this was new to me. If it still happened today I hope people get help. People should not lose their land.

5

I hadn’t know about heirs property laws at all, and was grateful to learn about it, and the other injustices that caused Black people to lose their land. It was shocking to learn that 90% of Black land was lost in the 20th century! A huge reason why Blacks have so little generational wealth to pass on. Appalling!

6

I had never heard that term until I read a review of Long After We Are Gone. Need to add that to my TBR.

1 Like
7

I did not know about heirs property. Looked it up and it is still a bit confusing to me. I read about it after midnight so maybe I take another look!

8

I had only a vague awareness of heirs’ property before reading this novel. I had heard it mentioned in passing here and there, but I never really understood the depth of its impact. Communities built after emancipation often relied on land ownership as a tangible expression of autonomy and self-determination. Losing that land can feel like losing the hard-won promise of Reconstruction itself. It’s clear that the effects continue to ripple forward today, not only in terms of financial wealth, but also in identity, stability, and a sense of rootedness.

9

I had no idea of this situation. And I’m so glad to learn. I understand efforts are being made to change the laws to prevent the process. The impact is just one more source of injustice.