Colson Whitehead‘s The Underground Railroad was already well on its way to classic (even super-stardom, bestseller) status — even before Oprah announced her latest Book club pick today. And, for good reason.
Background
He’s a famous, a New York Times bestselling novelist, with an extensive repertoire of achievements, including 5 novels and 2 nonfiction books. He also received the MacArthur Fellowship, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and Whiting Award. So, he’s one of those writers that we’re all following, expecting him to release the next great classic.
History
Even if his literary credentials weren’t so impressive, we’re fascinated by the subject matter of this novel. Yes, we know that the “Underground Railroad” is history — it was the secret way that Harriet Tubman and other “rebels” ferried slaves to freedom. Whitehead captures that sense of anticipatory danger, as he propels us through time. Compared with Gulliver’s Travels, we’re struck by the literary appeal.
A Celebration
The book recounts the horrors of slavery, but Michiko Kakutani celebrates that way that Whitehead “memorializes the yearning for freedom that spurs one generation after another to persevere in the search for justice — despite threats and intimidation, despite reversals and efforts to turn back the clock. He has told a story essential to our understanding of the American past and the American present.”
Are you ready for the next, great Oprah Book Club pick? Join me in reading (and re-reading) this bestseller. Then, tell us what you think about Colson Whitehead‘s The Underground Railroad.
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