By: Colson WhiteheadPlot: About a slave named Cora, who escapes from her plantation on the underground railroad that is an actual underground railroad. A book about slavery so you know it's going to be bad.
My Thoughts: I read the synopsis about the underground railroad being a literal underground railroad and I thought that'd be really interesting. Then upon reading the book, I realized that the underground railroad had hardly anything to do with the story at all. I don't understand what the point of having it be a real railroad was then. Just to make her travel fast, maybe? I think it would have been more interesting from the perspective of one of the conductors on the railroad or something! I just thought it would play a much more significant part of the story.
I shouldn't have read this book during the summer. It's not an easy, breezy summer read. I can't think that much in the summer heat. I think the plot is the best part of this book. The escape scenes always had me drawn in. The author would sometimes give things away though and that took some of the suspense out of it. It was just so dang depressing to read. I definitely can't say I enjoyed reading it, but it was a good book.
I thought the slave hunter was one of the best characters. He was the most complex character and the most interesting, I thought. (*SPOILER*) it was also a letdown reading about Cora's mom. If you are going to sacrifice everything for your freedom, even your daughter, then it's upsetting to have her go out that way. But I guess the whole book is upsetting.
Favorite Quotes: "It was a magnificent operation, from seed to bale, but not one of them could be prideful of their labor. It had been stolen from them. Bled from them."
"He'd worried the paint from it these last months."
"People always got things wrong, on purpose as much as by accident."
Rating: 4/5