The underground railroad

More about the book

Cora, a slave on a Georgia cotton plantation, faces unimaginable horrors, especially as she matures into womanhood. An outcast among her peers, her life takes a turn when Caesar, a newcomer from Virginia, introduces her to the Underground Railroad. Together, they decide to escape, but their plan goes awry when Cora kills a white boy trying to capture her. They find a station and head north, but they are relentlessly pursued. In this innovative narrative, the Underground Railroad is depicted as a real network of tracks and tunnels beneath the South. Their first stop is South Carolina, which initially appears to offer safety, but hides a sinister scheme against its black residents. The relentless slave catcher Ridgeway is hot on their trail, forcing Cora to flee once more. Her journey becomes a harrowing odyssey across states, each revealing different facets of freedom and oppression. Cora's experiences echo those of the protagonist in Gulliver’s Travels, as she navigates a landscape filled with unique terrors and challenges. The narrative captures the brutal history of African Americans from the slave trade to the present, blending adventure with a profound meditation on shared history and the quest for liberation.