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A review by tanyamariereads
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
5.0
What can I say about a book that has received high praise across the board? Other than just agreeing with the positive reviews out there, I would say everyone needs to read this. I know I say that a lot about the books I love, but The Underground Railroad is so profound that summarizing its impact won't do it justice. Colson Whitehead fully brings all the ugliness of the history of slavery that has been completely whitewashed. It's easier for people to say, "that happened in the past, let's move on." Whitehead wanted none of that for his readers. He spent 15 years researching all the things that Europe-centric history neglected to mention, or merely downplays, and created a story for the voices that have been forgotten over the course of history.
I'm glad I took my time reading this novel along with a buddy read. It's not one that should be rushed through. A lot of minute details can be missed and I think readers can start to feel disconnected if those details are overlooked. I would also say that although this could be seen as historical fiction, there's some freedom that Whitehead took with his fictional novel to help make the timeline more cohesive. I know some have a gripe with his liberty of making the underground railroad an actual railroad, but trust me it's imperative to the overall story. The journey of the main character Cora and her escape to the North via the underground railroad will bring discomfort and sadness, but it will reveal atrocities that can no longer be given a blind eye.
I'm glad I took my time reading this novel along with a buddy read. It's not one that should be rushed through. A lot of minute details can be missed and I think readers can start to feel disconnected if those details are overlooked. I would also say that although this could be seen as historical fiction, there's some freedom that Whitehead took with his fictional novel to help make the timeline more cohesive. I know some have a gripe with his liberty of making the underground railroad an actual railroad, but trust me it's imperative to the overall story. The journey of the main character Cora and her escape to the North via the underground railroad will bring discomfort and sadness, but it will reveal atrocities that can no longer be given a blind eye.