The Underground Railroad
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- Create Date：2021-06-20 09:53:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Colson Whitehead
- ISBN：0708898408
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Summary
From prize-winning， bestselling author Colson Whitehead， a magnificent tour de force chronicling a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South。
Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia。 Life is hell for all the slaves， but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans， she is coming into womanhood where even greater pain awaits。 When Caesar， a recent arrival from Virginia， tells her about the Underground Railroad， they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape。 Matters do not go as planned Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her。 Though they manage to find a station and head north， they are being hunted。
In Whitehead's ingenious conception， the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil。 Cora and Caesar s first stop is South Carolina， in a city that initially seems like a haven。 But the city s placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens。 And even worse: Ridgeway， the relentless slave catcher， is close on their heels。 Forced to flee again， Cora embarks on a harrowing flight， state by state， seeking true freedom。
Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia。 Life is hell for all the slaves， but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans， she is coming into womanhood where even greater pain awaits。 When Caesar， a recent arrival from Virginia， tells her about the Underground Railroad， they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape。 Matters do not go as planned Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her。 Though they manage to find a station and head north， they are being hunted。
In Whitehead's ingenious conception， the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil。 Cora and Caesar s first stop is South Carolina， in a city that initially seems like a haven。 But the city s placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens。 And even worse: Ridgeway， the relentless slave catcher， is close on their heels。 Forced to flee again， Cora embarks on a harrowing flight， state by state， seeking true freedom。
Reviews
Alyssa J Huntley
，
This book is hauntingly beautiful。 It breaks your heart and gives you home。 Whitehead writes as if he’s in the room telling you a story aloud。 He’s absolutely brilliant and fearless。
vb
，
Must read！
Lucky
，
3。5 stars。 An intense， haunting read that had a slow start but is definitely a worthwhile portrayal of slavery in the U。S。
Linda
，
3。7， maybe 3。8Hmmmm。 Good， draws you in。 Really well done characters。 A quick read。 Obviously heavy subject matter， but not heavy/ponderous text-wise to bog you down， despite the layers of plot and emotions and metaphor to be teased out。。。so that is an achievement！ I have to say I don't really know what I think of the ending。 And I'm fascinated by Oprah's blurb about the heart-stopping final page because I'm like， um， what does it mean？ 3。7， maybe 3。8Hmmmm。 Good， draws you in。 Really well done characters。 A quick read。 Obviously heavy subject matter， but not heavy/ponderous text-wise to bog you down， despite the layers of plot and emotions and metaphor to be teased out。。。so that is an achievement！ I have to say I don't really know what I think of the ending。 And I'm fascinated by Oprah's blurb about the heart-stopping final page because I'm like， um， what does it mean？ 。。。more
Anneli Waara
，
En otäck historia om slaveriets Amerika。 Gav många nya bilder av söderns helvete genom Cora som mot alla odds lyckas fly via den okända underjordiska järnvägen。 Den är dock spretigt skriven， mer inriktad på att göra några nedslag som sannolikt är välreserchade sammanbundet av huvudpersonens flykt。 Men det blir ojämnt och bitvis ointressant。 Bäst i början och tunnas sen ur i storyn。 Stilistiskt sådär， eller så är det översättningen…。。
Timi KM
，
“If you want to see what this nation is all about， you have to ride the rails。 Look outside as you speed through， and you’ll find the true face of America。”This quote is can take you in so many directions， it summarises the message of the book so beautifully。 The railroad is underground， meaning you can't see much even if you look outside。 Meaning all you can see is darkness。 Is this darkness reflective of the white slavers' treatment of black people or the colour of the skin of the people who c “If you want to see what this nation is all about， you have to ride the rails。 Look outside as you speed through， and you’ll find the true face of America。”This quote is can take you in so many directions， it summarises the message of the book so beautifully。 The railroad is underground， meaning you can't see much even if you look outside。 Meaning all you can see is darkness。 Is this darkness reflective of the white slavers' treatment of black people or the colour of the skin of the people who contributed so much to the 'building' of this nation？ Or is it simply a metaphor for American history itself？Read it and see for yourself。。。Also， if you want to read more about what I thought about this novel， check out my blog post about it: Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad 。。。more
Mark te Braake
，
Beautifully written， but a grueling read。 Emotionally exhausting。
Victoria
，
I love Colson Whitehead— the Nickel Boys is one of my favorite books， ever。 This one was so hard to read。 It was graphic， tragic， but also brilliant。 I was really impressed with how well he wove together the past and present without ever leaving the Antebellum era… And man， oh man does Whitehead know how to write an ending。
Teresa Mobley
，
While this book is quite a page turner， it’s heavy， serious historical fiction with some fictional twists。 While it’s surmised to take place in the 1850s， it never actually tells the reader the year。 Really good opportunity for perspective taking。
Elke
，
I can appreciate the historical value of this bookThe enormous importance of these storiesWhat bothers me I think， is his style。。。 at no point did I feel anything for these characters， did they come alive for me。。。
Kirill
，
Good book
Craig
，
Read after watching the great Barry Jenkins-helmed Amazon Prime version of the book so my comparison might not be the best。 But I think I liked the TV series more than the book as it actually gave me greater character insight which doesn't always seem to be the case when comparing books to film。 Don't get me wrong - this was still great。 But I wanted more of all the characters， especially Ridgeway and Homer as the series certainly gave us more of that duo。 Read after watching the great Barry Jenkins-helmed Amazon Prime version of the book so my comparison might not be the best。 But I think I liked the TV series more than the book as it actually gave me greater character insight which doesn't always seem to be the case when comparing books to film。 Don't get me wrong - this was still great。 But I wanted more of all the characters， especially Ridgeway and Homer as the series certainly gave us more of that duo。 。。。more
Meredith Allard
，
There was a lot I liked about this book。 I liked Whitehead's use of magical realism in showing the underground railroad as a literal underground railroad that carried the runaway slaves away， if not always to freedom。 I loved Whitehead's creative reimagining of what it was like in each of the states where the slaves tried to find freedom。 While Whitehead's presentation of the underground railroad is a product of fantasy， much of what happens to the slaves is based on a brutal reality。 The Underg There was a lot I liked about this book。 I liked Whitehead's use of magical realism in showing the underground railroad as a literal underground railroad that carried the runaway slaves away， if not always to freedom。 I loved Whitehead's creative reimagining of what it was like in each of the states where the slaves tried to find freedom。 While Whitehead's presentation of the underground railroad is a product of fantasy， much of what happens to the slaves is based on a brutal reality。 The Underground Railroad isn't an easy read， but it is an important one。 I wish I had connected with Cora more。 Since she is the heart of this story， I felt as though she was kept at arm's length--there but not accessible。 Maybe Whitehead did that on purpose as a way to show how slaves had to keep themselves separate from the world in order to survive。 。。。more
Chrissie
，
Wow。 I've had this book for a long time， but I always have far to many to read， so I picked it up when I saw there was a TV series - book before film every time！ Such a tough subject， but beautifully told， as well as moving on at just the right pace。 The horrific scenes were not gratuitous， but added to the atmosphere， completely necessary。 A truly great （but harrowing） read。 Wow。 I've had this book for a long time， but I always have far to many to read， so I picked it up when I saw there was a TV series - book before film every time！ Such a tough subject， but beautifully told， as well as moving on at just the right pace。 The horrific scenes were not gratuitous， but added to the atmosphere， completely necessary。 A truly great （but harrowing） read。 。。。more
Ani
，
Painful and beautifully written！
Kathleen Witte
，
There is so much to love here， I don’t really know where to start。 Much has been written about this tour-de-force of an enslaved woman’s fight for freedom， so I’ll just offer a few quick thoughts that particularly stuck out to me: 1。 The format。 Organized by each of the southern states this runaway travels through， you get a sense of the specific horrors facing Black people in each locale （and thus an overall sense）。 At first I didn’t quite get the interspersed profiles of tertiary characters， b There is so much to love here， I don’t really know where to start。 Much has been written about this tour-de-force of an enslaved woman’s fight for freedom， so I’ll just offer a few quick thoughts that particularly stuck out to me: 1。 The format。 Organized by each of the southern states this runaway travels through， you get a sense of the specific horrors facing Black people in each locale （and thus an overall sense）。 At first I didn’t quite get the interspersed profiles of tertiary characters， but eventually I liked the color they added to the protagonist’s travels and travails。 2。 The SECRET。 The secret that only the Underground Railroad travelers will ever know: that the rail is real: tunnels， train cars and conductors。 I know it’s a device， to imaginary the Underground Railroad this way， but the magic of it makes me want to believe that really it’s just been kept a secret from supremacists this whole time。 3。 This book was an entirely different feel for me than Nickel Boys， but both great and important reads。 。。。more
Alex Cottam
，
To say I enjoyed reading it would be such a skewed word for such a distressing enslaved narrative。 I found myself holding out hope for each character， ever knowing that their fate would not be one of hope。 I did get confused slightly with the mixed timelines but enjoyed how Whitehead gave the narratives of different people within Cora’s life。
Sankalpita （bookGeeks India）
，
Detailed review will follow soon
Krista （A Crease In The Spine Book Reviews）
，
The Underground Railroad discusses the study of slavery。 The harsh realities of those dark chapters in American historythat are presented with such brute bluntness but remain in their presentation。 The author chose his timeline well and integrates other interesting and sickening moments in American history。 In addition to slavery， the sterilization of black people; the secret studies of syphilis， conducted by white doctors on black patients without their knowledge; and the rise in the practice o The Underground Railroad discusses the study of slavery。 The harsh realities of those dark chapters in American historythat are presented with such brute bluntness but remain in their presentation。 The author chose his timeline well and integrates other interesting and sickening moments in American history。 In addition to slavery， the sterilization of black people; the secret studies of syphilis， conducted by white doctors on black patients without their knowledge; and the rise in the practice of autopsy and the subsequent need for corpses， which led to grave robbing and the irreverent disposal of deceased black peoples' bodies for scientific study。 #bookreview The writing is superb throughout。 Carefully selected word choices lend themselves to having harsh and a long-standing impact on readers like myself。 。。。more
Pernille Nyvang
，
God og tankevækkende bog men den når ikke op på niveauet som forfatteren rammer med "Drengene fra Nickel" God og tankevækkende bog men den når ikke op på niveauet som forfatteren rammer med "Drengene fra Nickel" 。。。more
Mira
，
Definitely an interesting concept of making the Underground Railroad an actual railroad！ The story was pretty good。
Elena
，
4。5*
Lea Saurusrex
，
Je ne vais pas mentir， je suis déçue。 Déçue parce que j'attendais trop， probablement， de l'auteur qui a décroché un prix Pulitzer。 The Underground Railroad est un roman qui prend place au milieu du dix-neuvième siècle， aux États-Unis， alors que l'esclavage est toujours autorisé dans la plupart des États du sud。 Pour celles et ceux qui ont déjà lu sur le sujet ou qui connaissent un peu， le nom d'Underground Railroad （"chemin de fer souterrain"） n'est pas inconnu : c'était le nom du réseau clandes Je ne vais pas mentir， je suis déçue。 Déçue parce que j'attendais trop， probablement， de l'auteur qui a décroché un prix Pulitzer。 The Underground Railroad est un roman qui prend place au milieu du dix-neuvième siècle， aux États-Unis， alors que l'esclavage est toujours autorisé dans la plupart des États du sud。 Pour celles et ceux qui ont déjà lu sur le sujet ou qui connaissent un peu， le nom d'Underground Railroad （"chemin de fer souterrain"） n'est pas inconnu : c'était le nom du réseau clandestin qui permettait aux esclaves de s'échapper des plantations du sud pour gagner les États du nord où l'esclavage était aboli。 On ne peut d'ailleurs pas parler d'underground railroad sans mentionner le nom de sa plus célèbre représentante : Harriet Tubman。 Un nom aussi célèbre que celui de Rosa Parks qui officiera un siècle plus tard contre la ségrégation， fléau dans la lignée directe de l'esclavagisme et nourri à son sein。 Et c'est bien pour ça que ce livre m'a déçue。 Car au lieu de me retrouver face à un travail de documentation précis sur le sujet， qui m'aurait vraiment intéressée， j'ai dû suivre le choix de l'auteur de faire de cette métaphore une réalité sur laquelle il a basé toute sa trame narrative。 Et à partir de là， je n'ai pas pu me départir de l'idée qu'on me vendait un sacré tissu de mensonges。 Et c'est toujours quelque chose qui me gêne plus ou moins quand il est question de littérature générale。 Surtout quand l'Histoire en elle-même regorge de suffisamment de drames et d'héroïsmes pour nous instruire。 Du coup， toutes les horreurs qui suivent dans ce roman sont à la fois tristement familières， car je les ai rencontrées dans d'autres lectures， et teintées du spectre du mensonge。 Au point où je voudrais faire des recherches pour voir quelle est la part de la fiction et du réalisme de certains évènements。 Même si finalement， la part de réalité ne me surprendrait pas tant que ça : quand on connaît les autres recoins troubles de notre passé， on sait que l'être humain ne recule devant rien quand il s'agit d'exactions。 Simplement pour une question d'honnêteté intellectuelle， je ne sais pas si c'est vraiment le bon mot mais tant pis， je l'utilise， j'aimerais savoir sur quoi on se base。 Je n'ai pas de problème avec la littérature générale qui remanie la réalité à sa sauce， pourvu que ce soit assumé de manière moins ambiguë。 Donc voilà， c'est mon premier point， celui qui m'a le plus gênée， cette sensation de ne pas savoir où veut en venir Colson Whitehead avec ce parti-pris。 Mais si seulement ça s'était arrêté là。 Car d'autres choses sont venues s'ajouter par la suite : un manque de corps pour beaucoup de personnages， l'impression d'attendre toujours l'impact mais n'être finalement témoin que d'un soufflé raté， et une plume très très inégale aux nombreuses maladresses qui m'ont complètement sortie du récit。 L'auteur nous écrit pourtant de magnifiques moments， avec un rythme， une poésie， une structure， mais il se perd à de nombreuses reprises comme s'il ne faisait qu'entrevoir la lumière avant de continuer à tâtonner dans le noir。 Ah et aussi， je persiste et signe : je déteste qu'on m'évente sciemment un rebondissement plusieurs lignes à l'avance。 C'est pour ça que je ne lis jamais les titres des chapitres quand il y en a， et que je lis de moins en moins les quatrièmes de couverture， préférant plutôt les avis des lecteurs et lectrices qui parlent surtout de leur ressenti : je veux que la lecture m'embarque et que la narration elle-même me fasse vibrer。 Et quand on m'annonce ce qu'on va me dire， c'est comme si on me forçait à manger un litre de soupe avant de me servir des frites croustillantes et dorées : j'ai l'appétit coupé， et je n'apprécie pas autant mes frites que si j'avais pu taper dedans plus rapidement。 Mais mon aventure avec Colson Whitehead n'est pas terminée。 Je veux lire autre chose de lui pour me confirmer ou m'infirmer cette première impression。 J'ai envie de croire qu'il y a là-dessous un talent， quelque chose que je n'arrive pas encore à identifier mais qui prendra peut-être son envol dans un autre roman。 。。。more
Simone
，
Excellent book。
Anna Pardo
，
Sí， pensareu que últimament estic exagerant amb les meves ressenyes， però us prometo que estic encadenant una bestialitat de lectures。M'ha encantat。 És colpidor i profund dins la simplicitat de la trama （una？ fugida）， i no explica res que la Història no ens hagi ensenyat abans， però Whitehead ho narra magistralment。 No dóna treva al lector: ni en l'acció， ni en el ritme， ni en les reflexions。 Ni en l'esperança: hi deixa ben poques engrunes on aferrar-s'hi。 He patit amb la Cora i els seus company Sí， pensareu que últimament estic exagerant amb les meves ressenyes， però us prometo que estic encadenant una bestialitat de lectures。M'ha encantat。 És colpidor i profund dins la simplicitat de la trama （una？ fugida）， i no explica res que la Història no ens hagi ensenyat abans， però Whitehead ho narra magistralment。 No dóna treva al lector: ni en l'acció， ni en el ritme， ni en les reflexions。 Ni en l'esperança: hi deixa ben poques engrunes on aferrar-s'hi。 He patit amb la Cora i els seus companys de viatge。 He plorat molt al final amb la història de la Mabel， ombra que plana durant tota la lectura marcant el destí dels protagonistes， i que només coneixem a les últimes pàgines。Com a única pega， que no arriba a ser-ho， esperava trobar-hi una mica de realisme màgic， perquè així ho tenia entès。。。 Ara， no li fa cap falta。 Crec que a l'adaptació televisiva aquest component sí que hi és， i suposo que m'animaré aviat a veure-la però， sincerament， no sé que més pot aportar a aquesta obra mestra。 。。。more
Jitna Bhagani
，
This is a very powerful book。 The story is gripping， the violence is horrific， and the story is an interesting one。 I haven't read any of Colson Whitehead's books before this and I found the writing to be disjointed and choppy， sometimes even confusing。 Many times I had to go back and re-read the previous paragraphs to make sense of what was going on。 It seemed to jump from one place to another without context。 That being said， the book is a very important one and I did quite like the idea of a This is a very powerful book。 The story is gripping， the violence is horrific， and the story is an interesting one。 I haven't read any of Colson Whitehead's books before this and I found the writing to be disjointed and choppy， sometimes even confusing。 Many times I had to go back and re-read the previous paragraphs to make sense of what was going on。 It seemed to jump from one place to another without context。 That being said， the book is a very important one and I did quite like the idea of a physical underground railroad。 This book is definitely worth a read。 。。。more
Kaj Peters
，
Erg sterk hoe Colson Whitehead hyperrealistische gruwelen combineert met magisch-realistische lyriek。 Het geeft 'The Underground Railroad' （2016） een metaforische lading over de verwantschap tussen vroegmoderne industrialisering en de slavernij。 Hoe de Amerikaanse droom gebouwd is op het vergoten bloed van tot slaaf gemaakten; een nalatenschap die zowel imposant groots is als onbevattelijk gruwelijk。 Elke keer dat protagoniste Cora zich realiseert wat er van haar is afgepakt en hoe weinig kansen Erg sterk hoe Colson Whitehead hyperrealistische gruwelen combineert met magisch-realistische lyriek。 Het geeft 'The Underground Railroad' （2016） een metaforische lading over de verwantschap tussen vroegmoderne industrialisering en de slavernij。 Hoe de Amerikaanse droom gebouwd is op het vergoten bloed van tot slaaf gemaakten; een nalatenschap die zowel imposant groots is als onbevattelijk gruwelijk。 Elke keer dat protagoniste Cora zich realiseert wat er van haar is afgepakt en hoe weinig kansen zij heeft om haar lot te keren， komt haar existentiële onvrijheid opnieuw als een mokerslag binnen。 De roman volgt dan ook haar groeiende bewustzijn van iemand die hoe meer kennis zij vergaart， hoe meer zicht zij krijgt op een ongelijke positie in alle facetten van haar bestaan。 Waar gewoon je vrije zelf zijn politiek wordt en witte mensen zich liever bezighouden met een protofascistisch klik- en opsporingssysteem dan met universele rechten。 Ook knap hoe Whitehead 'subtielere' vormen van rassenongelijkheid aankaart door lacunes te tonen in zogenaamde vrije staten。 Of plekken waar Cora verraderlijk proeft aan bewegingsvrijheid， terwijl ze tegelijkertijd nooit ontkomt aan onderhuidse vormen van onderdrukking als misrepresentatie of eugenetica。 'The Underground Railroad' （2016） is zo'n historische roman die dat verleden dichtbij brengt en vooral veel vertelt over onopgeloste contemporaine issues。 。。。more
Daniel
，
I had wanted to immerse myself in this story， to learn more about that horrific part of history。 The writing is wonderful and immersion was instant and there I was， with Cora， looking in on a world of utter and complete and injustice。 I told my wife about it as I was reading it， I told my children about it - and was amazed by the railroad - it sounded so fantastic that something like that had been accomplished in secret - but I was reading a historical novel， wasn't I？ Well， I wasn't。 It's calle I had wanted to immerse myself in this story， to learn more about that horrific part of history。 The writing is wonderful and immersion was instant and there I was， with Cora， looking in on a world of utter and complete and injustice。 I told my wife about it as I was reading it， I told my children about it - and was amazed by the railroad - it sounded so fantastic that something like that had been accomplished in secret - but I was reading a historical novel， wasn't I？ Well， I wasn't。 It's called magical realism and when you KNOW about it beforehand， it's fantastic。 But if you don't， and I didn't， then it is quite jarring。Long story short， all the horrors in the novel did， one way or another， one place or another， happen。 But the eponymous underground railroad is fiction， a device created by the author to get his protagonist to various places and thus allow us to experience a great deal more。 It delivers a vast and nightmarish canvas and， beyond the great story， a great deal will be learned。 I just wish I had known， beforehand， about the creative liberties （excellent as they are） Whitehead took。 。。。more
Tanya TL
，
I was really affected by how clearly the author portrayed the way racism is woven into the fabric of white society。 The image of little girls in pretty dresses fighting to be part of the group that actually carries out the lynching of black people and black children - that is chilling and an image that stays with me。
Teresa
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 😣
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Underground Railroad
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Underground Railroad&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft