Sunday, August 14, 2016

2016 book 145

Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad
Whitehead's latest--after Zone One, among others--centers on a young slave in Georgia fighting for her freedom with the help of the Underground Railroad--here, a literal railroad that has been built in tunnels underground. This is so much more than a slightly alternate history, though--it's really a trenchant comment on the issues facing our society today (perhaps why Oprah made it a book club pick and it came out over a month earlier than it was supposed to). I did think the first half was a lot stronger than the second, mainly plot-wise--the writing and characterization are both really strong throughout. I think this is going to be called an "important" work, but don't let that scare you away--it's definitely very readable. A-.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.

1 comment:

Christina said...

I loved the way the plot unfolded. Like you would think you were done with someone, and then it would pick them up again. The violence was so terrible and the mob mentality scared me about what we are going to be facing in the coming days. Cora's strength was the best part and her character was so well-drawn.