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Why it matters
Whitehead transforms history into a speculative geography of recurring racial violence.
3 lists & prizes
2016 selection · Literary fiction
The Underground Railroad
National Book Award for Fiction · Winner The New York Times — 10 Best Books · Recommendation NPR Books We Love · Recommendation
Cora escapes a Georgia plantation through a literal underground railway and crosses states embodying different racial terrors. A slave catcher follows as each refuge proves conditional.
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Read this if…
You want propulsive historical fiction with an audacious premise.
03
Ideas inside
slaveryfreedomraceAmerican history
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James
On 3 lists: National Book Award for Fiction, NPR Books We Love, The New York Times — 10 Best Books
The Underground Railroad
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
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On 3 lists: National Book Award for Nonfiction, NPR Books We Love, The New York Times — 10 Best Books