In 'The Underground Railroad,' Colson Whitehead reimagines the historical escape from slavery as a literal underground train system, transforming Cora's harrowing journey into a visceral experience of hope and despair. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel weaves together the brutality of slavery with moments of resilience and courage. As Cora flees her captors, she encounters a collection of characters that embody the varied experiences of those in the fight for freedom. Each stop on the railroad reveals new horrors and triumphs, challenging her understanding of safety and belonging. Whitehead's masterful storytelling invites readers to reflect on history, humanity, and the relentless quest for liberation.
By Colson Whitehead
Published: 2016
""The hurt of a life lived in confinement may not be seen, though it bleeds out in ways that cant be hidden.""
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, the #1 New York Times bestseller from 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. Now an original Amazon Prime Video series directed by Barry Jenkins. 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. Like the protagonist of Gulliver’s Travels, Cora encounters different worlds at each stage of her journey—hers is an odyssey through time as well as space. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre–Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share. Look for Colson Whitehead’s best-selling new novel, Harlem Shuffle!
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“"The hurt of a life lived in confinement may not be seen, though it bleeds out in ways that cant be hidden."”
The Underground Railroad (Pulitzer Prize Winner) (National Book Award Winner) (Oprah's Book Club)
By Colson Whitehead
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Colson Whitehead is a celebrated American author known for his innovative storytelling and profound exploration of complex themes. He gained widespread acclaim for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, including "The Underground Railroad," which reimagines the historical Underground Railroad as an actual railway system, and "The Nickel Boys," a poignant narrative based on the horrors of a reform school in Florida. Whitehead's works often blend genres, incorporating elements of magical realism and sharp social commentary, deftly examining issues of race, identity, and history. His literary craft is characterized by rich prose and a keen sense of character, positioning him as one of the leading voices in contemporary literature.
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