Staff Pick
Colson Whitehead imagines a literal Underground Railroad in his latest novel of the same name. Stealthily shuttling blacks from the South to the North, the operators of the railroad are hyperaware of every possibility, but still, every moment discovery seems imminent. Cora, a slave on a cotton plantation, is helped with her escape, but even when she seems safe, fear is her constant companion. Her harrowing run from her owner is truly the stuff of literature. Don't miss Whitehead's National Book Award–winning scathing commentary on the Antebellum South. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com