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The Underground Railroad

audiobook The Underground Railroad by William Still in History

Description

This is a short work written by Jubal Early; an important general in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. After the war; Early wrote at length about the Lost Cause; and he scapegoated General James Longstreet by blaming him for the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg; including in this account.


#1465036 in Books Ingramcontent 2014-05-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.00 x .79 x 8.50l; 1.80 #File Name: 149932927X350 pagesThe Underground Railroad


Review
926 of 1012 people found the following review helpful. Things we were never taught in schoolBy Sherry ThornI chose this book; frankly; because Oprah chose it for her book club. As a lower middle class white child; educated in the '60's; I was well aware of the segregated south; but I had no idea the depth of the degradation and depravity of what people of color had endured in this country. The land of the free; home of the brave......unless you were a person of color. Kidnapped from your village in Africa; sold into bondage......IF you had survived the arduous journey from the Dark Continent to the Americas. Seeing your heritage stripped from you; as surely as your dignity and humanity as you stood on the auctioneers' block.Bearing children; only to see them torn from you to satisfy your master's debts. I am sure that these atrocities were part of my education; but this novel brings them more to the forefront than any textbook ever did. Even my college textbooks were circumspect in their description of man's inhumanity to man. For example; I did not know that all abolitionists were not involver in the underground railroad for purely altruistic reasons. Some actually used the newly "freed" slaved for medical research; delivering them from one sort of subhuman bondage to another. This book is a real Eye-opener for anyone educated in the public school system . Our textbooks did NOT tell the whole story. This novel gives a glimpse into the hardships and injustices we really never grasped in our American History class. An easy; if unsettling; read for this white girl!135 of 146 people found the following review helpful. A powerful; astonishing novel that finds more truth in its magical realism than a literal story ever could have allowedBy Josh MautheIf all Colson Whitehead’s remarkable The Underground Railroad had to offer was its central conceit – in which the “Underground Railroad;” a covert; loose organization that worked to help slaves in the Confederacy get to freedom; becomes a literal subterranean rail network – that might almost be enough to capture the imagination and make the book great. Because; in short; what this allows Whitehead to do is tell an age-old story – the efforts of a runaway slave to escape – in a way that feels like little else out there; bringing new life to a story that none of us can ever afford to forget. It’s a minor tweak to reality; but it gives the story a unique; odd feel; making literal the astonishing work that went into saving these people.So; yeah; that might be enough. But luckily for us all; Whitehead has more on his mind than just that one conceit. Instead; Whitehead turns this flight for freedom into a modern day Odyssey; letting each stop along the way become an entirely different narrative in the life of slavery; America’s race relations; prejudice; and fear. And the result is a sprawling; strange; haunting novel; one whose separate episodes combine to make something far more fascinating and complex than any one story might have been able to do on its own.For instance; a more traditional slave escape narrative could never contain the subtly wrong paradise that feels at first like heaven on Earth; only to have Whitehead slowly turn that world on its head. You wouldn’t have the nightmarishly violent community that has purged itself of African-Americans in the most horrific way possible; nor would you have the beauty of acts of kindness that come when least expected. In Whitehead’s capable hands; the journey becomes a more complex one; echoing back and forth through time as he takes on racism not just as an explicit force of slavery; but as a much more insidious; subtle evil that can hide behind people’s smiles. In other words; it’s not just the slave catchers we need to fear; it’s those for whom help means condescension and manipulation.Make no mistake; though; this is undeniably a book about slavery; and one that deals with the horrors of the institution without blinking or flinching. Violence is casual and brutal; with torture being commonplace and almost barely worthy of mention. And while our heroine’s plantation is known for its cruelty; that doesn’t mean that it’s any more cruel than half of what she sees in her journeys. Whitehead doesn’t allow us the luxury of “this place is the worst”; it’s just a particularly bad one; but nothing special. And even if it were somehow worse; it barely compares to some of the psychological and emotional horrors to come; and the wanton cruelty and disregard that we see on display throughout the book.And yet; for all of that; The Underground Railroad is still a slave escape narrative; one in which we’re invested in our heroine’s success; and one that keeps us reading in the face of all of the potential horrors; hoping for something good. Whitehead never lets The Underground Railroad become crushing or so bleak as to be unpalatable; he tempers it; mixing the good and the bad; and investing us in the characters so that we need them to succeed – and feel it all the more when some of them don’t.In other words; The Underground Railroad is something remarkable – a look at history that finds its truth through fiction; a dose of magical realism that serves to emphasize hard facts; a novel that explores ideas that many of us wish we had left in history. That it does all this is no small feat; that it does so in such a complex; powerful way without ever becoming didactic or simplistic; even less of one. But the fact that it manages to do all of that while still telling a gripping; exciting story? That‘s what makes it such an incredible novel; and worthy of its reputation.74 of 78 people found the following review helpful. LOVED THIS. So in full transparencyBy gmcmanusLOVED THIS. So in full transparency; I was skeptical about it; because as a U.S. history major; I have read so many books about slavery; I just wasn't sure what Whitehead could possibly do that would be fresh; enthralling; unique to the genre and subject matter. Let me tell you something. I was up late; gripping this book; white knuckling it if you will. There were times when I was terribly afraid for the protagonist and my heart was pounding wildly as she faced any number of situations. I would have to put it down; and think; this isn't even real! The thing is; though the premise is imaginary; clearly slavery was not. Being a young black woman; this hit close to home. What if this was me? Would I have been strong enough to stay focused and calculating. Would I have been picked as an ideal partner to escape with? The end is strong; though absolutely infuriating in some aspects. I realize this was done intentionally; as ultimately this isn't Disney so you're not supposed to close with the happily ever after. I'd strongly suggest this novel if you're looking for a powerful read.

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