The Underground Railroad

by Colson Whitehead

First published 2016

Cora, a slave on a Georgia cotton plantation, faces unimaginable cruelty. When fellow slave Caesar tells her about the Underground Railroad, they risk everything to flee. But their journey is fraught with danger, as a relentless slave catcher closes in. Cora's odyssey through the secret tunnels and aboveground stations becomes a fight for survival and a shattering exploration of America's dark history. Cora's story is a visceral, urgent tale of one woman's fierce will to be free.

Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, african-american, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction

Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: escape, perseverance, survival

Setting: United States, Georgia, South Carolina

Period: 19th century

336 pages · Paperback · Vintage

Content warnings: slavery, violence

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