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Barbara asked this question about The Underground Railroad:
Does anyone like that the author wrote the railroad as a physical, operating one? I felt it unnecessary and beyond the scope of possibility.
Lorri I loved it. It gave a sense of magical realism to the story. There were many other "impossible" things in the book as well. South Carolina was never a…moreI loved it. It gave a sense of magical realism to the story. There were many other "impossible" things in the book as well. South Carolina was never a haven for "uplifting" black people. North Carolina was never a separate all-white state. It isn't meant to be accurate, it is meant to provide an alternate reality within a reality that existed to make a point about an American history that is shared. We are all a part of the "Underground Railroad"--it is a thread, it is a vein, it is a lifeline. An umbilical cord. The line about "look out the windows and you will see the true face of America." It is darkness, it is unknown, it is possibility and hope. It is danger. It also was a nod (imo) to the folk songs likening a train to America. The real history of the rails in America is fraught with the blood and exploitation of people of color. (less)
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The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead (Goodreads Author)
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