The Underground Railroad: A Novel
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • "An American masterpiece" (NPR) that chronicles a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South.
One of The New York Times’s 10 Best Books of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the Century • A Los Angeles Times Best Fiction Book of the Last 30 Years
The basis for the acclaimed original Prime Video series directed by Barry Jenkins.
Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. An outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is on the cusp of womanhood—where greater pain awaits. And so when Caesar, a slave who has recently arrived from Virginia, urges her to join him on the Underground Railroad, she seizes the opportunity and escapes with him.
In Colson Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: engineers and conductors operate a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora embarks on a harrowing flight from one state to the next, encountering, like Gulliver, strange yet familiar iterations of her own world at each stop.
As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the terrors of the antebellum era, he weaves in the saga of our nation, from the brutal abduction of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is both the gripping tale of one woman's will to escape the horrors of bondage—and a powerful meditation on the history we all share.
One of The New York Times’s 10 Best Books of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the Century • A Los Angeles Times Best Fiction Book of the Last 30 Years
The basis for the acclaimed original Prime Video series directed by Barry Jenkins.
Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. An outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is on the cusp of womanhood—where greater pain awaits. And so when Caesar, a slave who has recently arrived from Virginia, urges her to join him on the Underground Railroad, she seizes the opportunity and escapes with him.
In Colson Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: engineers and conductors operate a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora embarks on a harrowing flight from one state to the next, encountering, like Gulliver, strange yet familiar iterations of her own world at each stop.
As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the terrors of the antebellum era, he weaves in the saga of our nation, from the brutal abduction of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is both the gripping tale of one woman's will to escape the horrors of bondage—and a powerful meditation on the history we all share.
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This is an amazing novel that depicts the underground railroad as a literal railroad, much like many of us did as children. Great character development and some very profound statements about slavery and race relations. The plot is well paced. I highly recommend reading this novel.
Cora, is a third generation slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Her mother Mabel and grandmother Ajarry, both head strong women teach her well. Cora is urged by Caesar, a newly acquired slave to the plantation, to escape with him. At first Cora refuses to escape then changes her mind after watching fellow slaves being ruthlessly tortured and killed by the plantation owner. Caesar picks out Cora as he fellow escapee for her strong will. He also sees her as a good luck charm; her mother Mabel, being the only person to ever escape the plantation, leaving her young child (Cora) behind. Escaping from the plantation, Cora and Caesar head north through the "underground railroad" to Canada. Along the way they get help from blacks and whites. Escapees and their helpers must keep their wits about them to avoid paid bounty hunters who will stop at nothing to get 'their man'. Ridgeway, a famous bounty hunter is hot on their trail. For him it is personal, Cora's mother being the only slave he was unable to catch. Cora is captured several times by Ridgeway but still manages to escape. On the last attempt Ridgeway succumbs after a hand combat. Cora gains her freedom at last. A well written novel which focuses on racism, self identity, mental and physical strength and freedom. I liked the plot, riddled with twists and turns. The author did a great job encompassing the psyche of both the master and the slave and the aura of the times. I had no problem identifying with both the slaves and their white masters. It was so easy to see the rational on both sides of the coin. The author has many quotes throughout the novel that encompass and brings to the forefront the true environment and mentality of this time period in USA history. NOTE: the underground railroad is just a passage out of slavery. It is not necessarily a railroad or something underground.
Cora, is a third generation slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Her mother Mabel and grandmother Ajarry, both head strong women teach her well. Cora is urged by Caesar, a newly acquired slave to the plantation, to escape with him. At first Cora refuses to escape then changes her mind after watching fellow slaves being ruthlessly tortured and killed by the plantation owner. Caesar picks out Cora as he fellow escapee for her strong will. He also sees her as a good luck charm; her mother Mabel, being the only person to ever escape the plantation, leaving her young child (Cora) behind. Escaping from the plantation, Cora and Caesar head north through the "underground railroad" to Canada. Along the way they get help from blacks and whites. Escapees and their helpers must keep their wits about them to avoid paid bounty hunters who will stop at nothing to get 'their man'. Ridgeway, a famous bounty hunter is hot on their trail. For him it is personal, Cora's mother being the only slave he was unable to catch. Cora is captured several times by Ridgeway but still manages to escape. On the last attempt Ridgeway succumbs after a hand combat. Cora gains her freedom at last. A well written novel which focuses on racism, self identity, mental and physical strength and freedom. I liked the plot, riddled with twists and turns. The author did a great job encompassing the psyche of both the master and the slave and the aura of the times. I had no problem identifying with both the slaves and their white masters. It was so easy to see the rational on both sides of the coin. The author has many quotes throughout the novel that encompass and brings to the forefront the true environment and mentality of this time period in USA history. NOTE: the underground railroad is just a passage out of slavery. It is not necessarily a railroad or something underground.
Trigger warning, this is a Heavy and Heartbreaking book about all the terrors inflicted on black and brown bodies during the slavery period that will leave you indelibly wondering if they can ever balance the moral scale. Colson Whitehead is a masterful writer with a slew of great books under his belt. This one follows the harrowing experience of a few enslaved trying to find freedom along the famed secret passage north.
Whitehead deviates from what you might expect in a story about emancipation and the Underground Railroad. He expertly reminds us that not every story of escape is an inspiring one. That what may be more damning than turning of humans into chattel; is the way the wicked snatch fleeting moments of freedom from those who’ve long suffered to earn it.
Whitehead’s style is not all bleak. There is joy, romance, humor, and intrigue at a nation trying to find its identity in a changing world. Whitehead’s characters remind us that though most who sought freedom failed to fully hold it, the pursuit of freedom is a glory in itself. I have been fortunate to read many of Whitehead’s books and count this one among his best.
The brutality of slavery told through the voice of young woman’s harrowing journey. Compelling reading despite the difficult content. He is a wonderful author.
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