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The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead

Start date: February 1, 2017

Finish date: February 28, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: February Bonus Read- Black History Month
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What Members Thought

Oct 02, 2023 Nina rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, classics, historical-fiction

I am not completely sure what to make out of this book. Is it worth reading? Yes, I think so. Did everything make complete sense to me? No. What I did not like was how this Underground Railway was shown. Maybe that was just my misled expectation, but I would seriously have liked a little more historical accuracy around this. It would have made Cora’s journey more authentic. Instead, some of the scenes felt a little bit surreal to me, and I did not really like that too much as I was prepared for ...more

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Sep 26, 2016 Diana Long rated it it was ok

A poignant novel of a young slave woman and her escape by the underground railroad from Georgia to freedom in the 1840's, or so the author would have us believe. I adore Oprah Winfrey and look forward to many of the reads she recommends, this one did not bring it home to me. My first and biggest stumbling block came in the use of a “real railroad” and running underground, described more than any other section of the book and it is a falsehood. It caused me to ponder, did the author actually do a A poignant novel of a young slave woman and her escape by the underground railroad from Georgia to freedom in the 1840's, or so the author would have us believe. I adore Oprah Winfrey and look forward to many of the reads she recommends, this one did not bring it home to me. My first and biggest stumbling block came in the use of a “real railroad” and running underground, described more than any other section of the book and it is a falsehood. It caused me to ponder, did the author actually do any research on this subject? From what I have ascertained from other information available on the net and reviews, apparently it is done on purpose to prove a point, but why? But I continue to read, and what I read as pertains to the stop offs in South Carolina and then North Carolina does not make any sense or bode well with me. I admit, I was not there, I didn't live in that time so who am I to disagree with this section. Yet, it feels very wrong. I have read codicils of wills, and was shocked, the negro slaves were listed like they were very high priced animals, exp. A bunch of hogs value $40, but Big Daniel the most expensive of the slaves was worth $1,000 so why would there be such a great massacre to deliberately rid oneself of such valuable property. There are also Slave schedules where the planter/master had to account for his slaves and pay taxes on them. I am not saying that the planters were wonderful people, but the majority of them needed the workers so why wouldn't they feed, protect and covert their property. I am not debating the legitimacy of slavery either, of course it was wrong as was the removal of the American Indians.
I moved on and at last came to the end of the book and thought long and hard on it, was I being too critical of the work. I read for enjoyment, entertainment, enrichment and sometimes learn something along the way. I couldn't connect with the characters in the story, I felt detached from them because I didn't actually know them, they were underdeveloped. I also felt an uncomfortable underlying “anger” emitted from the work, did the author write this to “vent” about the mistreatment of the race. Am I being somewhat to critical of the work, after all I am not an English major by any means, I only read ?
I am left perplexed, what exactly did I read? I wish I could have loved this work or even liked it, but feel if I was less than honest with myself about how I felt about the book as a whole I would be a hypocrite. ...more

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Feb 17, 2017 Shana rated it it was amazing

I can see why this book won so many awards. It is extremely well done. Well written and Whitehead manages to take a topic that is beyond levels of heinous and turn it into a readable novel. I worried when I started this, I might not be able to get through this, yet Whitehead manages to create a character that you are rooting for. That you need to keep reading, because you want to know what happens. He also managed to highlight a few things that I knew, but because of the way the novel was writte I can see why this book won so many awards. It is extremely well done. Well written and Whitehead manages to take a topic that is beyond levels of heinous and turn it into a readable novel. I worried when I started this, I might not be able to get through this, yet Whitehead manages to create a character that you are rooting for. That you need to keep reading, because you want to know what happens. He also managed to highlight a few things that I knew, but because of the way the novel was written hit home in a more impactful way: 1) That slavery was so engrained in the culture that a slave was never truly free, and the escape process was so challenging that few managed to escape. I remember feeling in awe learning that it had helped something like 100,000 slaves, but in relative comparison this number is so small. 2) The number of children that were taken from their families so young. 3) How risky it was for abolitionists to help slaves escape. Freed blacks or white all suffered the same risk - their lives - and they often lost their lives to help even one person. Yet, they all risked it because one person escaped was one less enslaved.
There were a few writing liberties taken that I feel like I need to point out, but only for the sake of my readers, not because I believe them to be flaws (no stars lost for these critiques). 1) It reads slowly and takes a bit to get into. It took me about 48 pages to really get engrossed in the story. The slowness is not for lack of captivity or action, it just is not a book I could sit down and "devour." The writing is dense and the content is heavy, so be prepared. You will think about it during the day or throughout the night after you read it. Having said that, it is beautifully written. You will want to keep reading. 2) There are some historical liberties taken. The notion of the Underground Railroad as an actual functioning railroad built by slaves is an interesting, yet inaccurate, take. Also, the timelines are a little blurred. So if you are a historical fiction purist, this won't quench your thirst. Having said that, the liberties taken are what makes the story as well accomplished as it is. Some of the praise I have seen compares this to Gullivers Travels. While I am not sure I agree with it, I can see the comparison, and the historical liberties help to create that.
Overall, this is a really well done book and worth the read. I'm sure this book will be talked about for years to come. ...more

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