whitneydaniell

by: Terah Shelton Harris
published: May 14, 2024
genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary
432 pages, E-Book
GoodReads | Amazon

Synopsis

Four siblings return home to North Carolina after their father’s death to save their family’s land from being sold to developers. But as they fight for the Kingdom—their ancestral home and 200 acres of waterfront property—their own secrets start to unravel.

Junior is hiding a love that could cost him everything. Mance’s temper has put him behind bars more than once. CeCe is drowning in a financial scandal. And Tokey feels like she’s never truly belonged. As their façades crack, the Solomons must face the truth about themselves and each other.

Told through alternating perspectives, Long After We Are Gone is a powerful story about family, legacy, and the weight of the past.

Personal Note

If you haven’t watched Silver Dollar Road on Amazon Prime, stop reading and go watch it. Long After We Are Gone is inspired by this American documentary and tells a gripping story of perseverance, determination, history, and pain.

The Reels family of North Carolina had owned land on Silver Dollar Road for generations. But due to Heirs Property Laws—and a lack of legal knowledge passed down—they had to fight, scream, and even sit in jail just to reclaim what was always rightfully theirs.

While the Reels had some success, many families won’t be as lucky. Without the right resources, generational land is lost every day, stripping Black and Brown communities of wealth, history, and legacy. When those who hold the answers pass on, so do our memories and future.

In 2025, it’s time to have the hard conversations. We need to talk about estate planning now—while we’re young enough to prepare. Have wills and trusts in place. Stop leaving it to probate court. Get insurance and savings, even if it’s just a few thousand dollars. Stop GoFundMe funerals. And most importantly, talk to your family about what happens to your possessions, your home, your land.

If you’re in your 30s or 40s like me, you know we’re only two or three generations removed from property that should still be in our families. Maybe Heirs Property Laws didn’t take your grandfather’s home—maybe it was unpaid taxes, liens, or a lack of legal understanding. Either way, we built this country for free, and we (you know who we are) deserve our 40 acres.

My Final Thoughts

Wow. Just… wow. Long After We Are Gone is a masterpiece. Shelton Harris did her big one, as the kids say. Every word was beautifully woven, painting a vivid picture of the Solomon family, led by King Solomon himself.

Steady and strong yet gentle, King Solomon—like his father before him—was both a carpenter and the guardian of the Kingdom. But when a widow-maker swoops in and takes him from his children, they are left reeling, lost without his guidance. And now, with his last words to his son—“Don’t let the white man take the house.”—echoing in their ears, they must figure out how to hold onto the Kingdom without him.

Junior, the eldest, should be the natural leader. But if birth order dictates personality, Junior never got the memo. He’s a husband, father, brother, and educator—yet he struggles with who he truly is. Deep down, he knows there are two versions of himself, and he doesn’t know how to show up as both.

Mance, the second-born, is his father’s son through and through. He carries the weight of the 200-acre property on his back, just as his father and grandfather did before him. But anger follows him like a shadow, and no matter how hard he tries to outrun it, it always catches up. Now, as a new father himself, he’s drowning under the pressure. What he sees as a badge of honor—being just like King—is really another weight he’s chosen to bear.

Cecily, or CeCe, the middle child and first daughter, grew up in a house full of testosterone, naturally stepping into the caretaker role. But she always knew there was more for her outside of Diggs, North Carolina. The moment she had the chance to leave, she did—and never looked back. Now a lawyer in New York City, she’s built the life she wanted, but at a cost. Her big-city dreams require more money than her salary can provide, and the choices she’s made to keep up are catching up with her. The Kingdom isn’t just a distant memory—it’s a world she never wanted to belong to.

And then there’s Tokey. Real name: Angeline. The baby of the family. The wanderer. But not all who wander are lost… right? Tokey has spent her life searching—for belonging, for purpose, for a place that feels like home. Even in the town she grew up in, surrounded by the same people her whole life, she still feels like an outsider. But in the wake of King’s death, as she sifts through the past, she starts to uncover the missing pieces of herself—buried deep in her family’s history.

Then, before they even have time to grieve, the Solomon siblings receive a trespass notice—for their own home. Malone & Kincaid, a development company, claims ownership of the property, bought out from under their father’s nose. The ugly reality of Heirs Property Laws rears its head, and the siblings—along with their honorary brother, Ellis—have two weeks to figure out a way to stop the Kingdom from being turned into a luxury resort. Despite their individual struggles, they all know one thing: their father would never have sold the land. Not one acre. Not one inch. As they fight for the Kingdom, the siblings must also confront the secrets that have been holding them back and let go of the things that no longer serve them.

Did I mention this was brilliantly written? Because it is. A gripping story of trauma, trials, trepidation, and triumph. Hands down, my favorite read of 2025 so far. One Summer in Savannah is officially on my TBR.