FAIRVIEW, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Between early March and May 16, 2026, hundreds of readers from across Buncombe County read “Happy Land” by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Free copies of the book were distributed from local library branches, where readers took part in crafts, book clubs and other activities.

One Book, One Buncombe made it all possible.

What is One Book, One Buncombe?

One Book, One Buncombe is a community-wide reading program aimed at creating unity through literature.

The Buncombe County Public Libraries initiative is supported by funding from the Friends of Pack Library and the Trust Fund for Buncombe County Public Libraries, which provided 750 paperback copies of “Happy Land” to county libraries for free distribution. Copies of the book were also made available to physically borrow, as well as digitally, thanks to virtual library platform Libby. For readers who missed their chance to receive a free copy of the book, local bookstores Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café and Daymoon Coffee and Books sold copies at a discount.

According to Jen Waite, One Book, One Buncombe committee chair and branch manager of Fairview Library, One Book, One Buncombe reads are chosen based on a few choice criteria.

Locality

“I always tell people that there’s no one book that’s going to check every single box, but the types of things we’re looking for for this program are local,” Waite provided. “Local is a factor, like a local author, and local described as this general area, or North Carolina. The Southeast.”

“Happy Land” is set around Hendersonville, N.C., and based on the true story of The Kingdom of the Happy Land, a community of emancipated people founded in region in the 1870s.

Accessibility

One Book, One Buncombe books must also be accessible to a wide variety of readers.

“Accessible means a lot of things,” Waite said. “Could a teenager read the book? Is it a good read for a wide cross-section of people? But also, accessibility in terms of format. Is it in paperback? Is it affordable? Is there audio where people can listen to it? Has it been translated into other languages? Is it in large print? That kind of accessibility.”

Creativity

When the One Book, One Buncombe committee selects a book, they are also thinking about the ways in which local libraries can supplement the read with fun, creative programming.

For example, the previous One Book, One Buncombe selection, “The Violin Conspiracy” by Brendan Slocumb, inspired events centered around music, reflecting the themes and content of the book.

With “Happy Land,” the history behind the story provided several programming opportunities. However, flowers, which are prominently featured on the cover of the book and are an integral part of its story, became the orienting subject of many library activities, such as floral arrangement and flower crown workshops.

How has the community responded to “Happy Land”?

Waite said that community members have rallied around “Happy Land” with almost universal praise, even when the book was outside of their usual reading milieu.

“A lot of people say they wanted to read it. A lot of people say it’s the type of book they never would have read, so they’re glad that this prompted them to read it,” Waite said.

Even better, Waite said, One Book, One Buncombe participants have passed on their copies after finishing, granting even more readers the opportunity to enjoy the novel.

“The copies kind of flew off the shelves. What’s really charming and heartwarming is we’ve had many people bring their copy back, say they were done with it, and donated,” Waite shared. “There was a social media post about it over the weekend and someone’s like, ‘I loved it. I finished it, and then I gave it to my hairdresser.’ So, people are also sharing it themselves, which I love.”

When is the One Book, One Buncombe author event?

The 2026 cycle of One Book, One Buncombe will culminate at 2 p.m. this Saturday, May 16, with a “meet the author” event at Ferguson Auditorium at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, 19 Tech Dr., Asheville.

The free event will feature a conversation between Perkins-Valdez and historian Suzanne Hale.

“[Hale] is one of the historians that has done a lot of the research about the real Kingdom of the Happy Land,” Waite explained. “Suzanne and Dolen met when Dolen was writing the book, and Suzanne would be one of the people whose history work she learned from.”

After the discussion, Perkins-Valdez will be available to sign books for attendees.

For those who cannot attend, the event will also be live streamed on the Buncombe County Government Facebook page.

Future

Waite said that the One Book, One Buncombe committee already have a few ideas for what the next read could be, but the selection will not be unveiled until the fall.

Until then, the librarian is content with the impact the program and “Happy Land” have made on Buncombe County readers.

“That’s what everyone likes about the concept, is the unified,” Waite said. “Everybody reading the same book in the same season, talking about it, coming together around a book.”

For more information about One Book, One Buncombe, visit www.buncombenc.gov/1124/One-Book-One-Buncombe.