Vanessa Miller holding a copy of The American Queen
In a nation built on the backs of the enslaved, The American Queen unearths the extraordinary true story of a Black woman who birthed a kingdom; that beamed with the light of freedom and hope amid the darkness of slavery and oppression. For author Vanessa Miller, this is more than a book: “I call The American Queen my love letter to history.”
Set during the Reconstruction Era, Vanessa Miller authors the story of Queen Louella, an enslaved woman raised on the Montgomery Plantation who, with the help of her future love Reverend William, risks her life to lead enslaved individuals to freedom.
Despite the scars of pain from her life enslaved, Queen Louella built a community out of her resilience, the Kingdom of the Happy Land, reminding her people that with resilience, even in the face of the greatest odds, freedom can be attained.
“I wanted to tell a story of resilience because that is what I believe that we as Black Americans need in this day and age,” said Miller. “I believe if we understand how resilient we are, no matter what we come up against we will continue to rise from it.”
Across her expansive collection of literary works, Miller seeks to highlight the historical struggles and triumphs of African Americans in the literary world, aiming to inspire her readers to reflect on the past and the lessons it presents. By doing so, she believes that African Americans, as well as other minority groups, can then navigate the challenges collectively faced today.
By highlighting the rich history and legacy of Black people in America, she seeks to celebrate the dynamic culture that African Americans have cultivated, even amid horrid lived experiences, filling a space in literature that represents the intricacy and beauty of Black stories.
“I hope that my stories live on and that decades from now, even 100 years from now, someone will pick up the books that I write and point to them as yet another instance of resilience for Black people,” Miller expresses. “It is my prayer that they live on.”
The American Queen has garnered widespread acclaim, winning The Catherine Marshall Christian Fiction Award of Excellence (The Christy Award), The Reading Warriors Choice Award, and the 2024 American Fiction Award for both African American and Historical Fiction. It was also recognized as one of Good Morning America’s “15 New Books to Read.”
Within one month and a half, Miller will be publishing her most recent work, The Filling Station, a story of two sisters Margaret and Evelyn who took refuge at the Threatt Filling Station after escaping the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, when they decide to confront their fears and dreams, ultimately risking everything to rebuild Greenwood and revive Black Wall Street.
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