Why is a 20-year-old book still making notable rounds in book clubs? It could be because it’s an engaging story told through the lens of Kansas City history. It’s most certainly because Whitney Terrell’s writing draws in readers even when the subject is difficult.
A native of the greater Kansas City metro area, Terrell wrote “” as a fictionalized retelling of the development of racial covenants, clauses in deeds to prevent people who were not white from buying property, that still affect the demographic make-up of Kansas City today.
If “The King of Kings County” is your next book club pick, here are questions answered by Terrell himself you can bring to the discussion:
What inspired “The King of Kings County,” and how closely is it tied to Kansas City’s real history?
The book is set in Kansas City, though I fictionalized certain areas; like renaming Johnson County as Kings County. I’ve written multiple novels about the city, and I wanted to explore how housing policies shaped its racial and economic landscape. The J.C. Nichols Company’s use of racial covenants played a huge role in segregating neighborhoods, and that history is central to the story.
On racial covenants and suburban development, why was it important to be direct about these issues?
That’s the point of writing fiction: to say what people don’t say out loud, especially in the Midwest. We’re taught to be polite, but novels are where you confront the uncomfortable. I tell my students: politeness is great in life, but it’s terrible for a narrator. This book was one of the first mass-market works to openly discuss Kansas City’s racial housing policies.
How does the book resonate today?
The themes are still relevant. Since the book’s release, Kansas City has seen shifts: Black leadership in key roles, urban redevelopment in areas like the Crossroads. But there’s tension between that progress and the pull of old power structures. The debate over the downtown stadium is a perfect example.
For readers outside Kansas City, will the book still resonate?
Absolutely. Racial covenanting and suburban segregation aren’t unique to Kansas City; they’re national issues. Readers from Milwaukee to Houston will find parallels in their own cities. The book was reviewed widely. , who is a friend (and fellow Kansas Citian), wrote a really nice review in Entertainment Weekly and it’s accessible even if you’re new to Kansas City’s history.
What should book clubs keep in mind when reading “The King of Kings County”?
It’s a serious book, but it’s also funny. The main character is a morally questionable developer, but he’s engaging. Fiction isn’t black-and-white like online debates. It’s messy, human and complex. I hope readers set aside political biases and dive into the story and its characters.