The Underground Railroad

When a writer gets both a MacArthur (AKA the Genius Grant) and Oprah’s seal of approval, you best find time to read his new book. That’s just what I did over the holidays, and I was enthralled by Whitehead’s fanciful notion to make the Underground Railroad an actual locomotive. The real connection for me was the main character, Cora, a slave who escapes a cotton plantation in Georgia. Cora’s mother abandoned her to escape the plantation years earlier, leaving Cora an orphan on the farm. Caesar, a slave new to the plantation, recognizes Cora’s fearlessness and believes that if they run together they can make it out. You will meet unforgettable characters along the way and have the privilege to walk a mile in the shoes of people treated so inhumanely it’s hard to believe it was a reality for many.