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A review by richardbakare
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
5.0
Trigger warning, this is a Heavy and Heartbreaking book about all the terrors inflicted on black and brown bodies during the slavery period that will leave you indelibly wondering if they can ever balance the moral scale. Colson Whitehead is a masterful writer with a slew of great books under his belt. This one follows the harrowing experience of a few enslaved trying to find freedom along the famed secret passage north.
Whitehead deviates from what you might expect in a story about emancipation and the Underground Railroad. He expertly reminds us that not every story of escape is an inspiring one. That what may be more damning than turning of humans into chattel; is the way the wicked snatch fleeting moments of freedom from those who’ve long suffered to earn it.
Whitehead’s style is not all bleak. There is joy, romance, humor, and intrigue at a nation trying to find its identity in a changing world. Whitehead’s characters remind us that though most who sought freedom failed to fully hold it, the pursuit of freedom is a glory in itself. I have been fortunate to read many of Whitehead’s books and count this one among his best.
Whitehead deviates from what you might expect in a story about emancipation and the Underground Railroad. He expertly reminds us that not every story of escape is an inspiring one. That what may be more damning than turning of humans into chattel; is the way the wicked snatch fleeting moments of freedom from those who’ve long suffered to earn it.
Whitehead’s style is not all bleak. There is joy, romance, humor, and intrigue at a nation trying to find its identity in a changing world. Whitehead’s characters remind us that though most who sought freedom failed to fully hold it, the pursuit of freedom is a glory in itself. I have been fortunate to read many of Whitehead’s books and count this one among his best.