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Biographical Note:
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.
Review Quotes:
"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
"Even more so because DéLana R.A. Dameron is no longer with us, we are lucky to have this full-hearted book of proliferation and healing."
--Southern Review of Books
"[
Fairfield County's] rugged horse-rearing characters, as well as [Dameron's] gorgeous descriptions of South Carolina's red clay and pines, make this a powerful epitaph to her literary legacy."
--Garden & Gun
"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
"The year's most anticipated local release . . . The poet, writer and horsewoman was a lynchpin in the local scene for Black writers and poets, and her voice was just emerging as one of the strongest in the Southeast."
--The Post and Courier
Publisher Marketing:
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 "Epic . . . a family saga in the finest tradition."--Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Good Dirt
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.
Review Citations:
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Booklist 06/01/2026 (EAN 9780593977811, Hardcover)
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