15. The Underground Railroad

Every list you read about the best books of 2017 includes this title. There's no way I wasn't going to read it. Then, mid-week, Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer Prize. Pretty solid affirmation, if you ask me.

 It's not exactly uplifting subject matter, of course, but inside the pages lies hope; you also find proof that hope can endure, even in the darkest hours.

You know about the underground railroad, of course. But, here, it is not a network of people, but an actual railroad. Deep beneath the soil tilled by slave hands, we go on a journey of tracks and makeshift stops, each unique to the state in which its found. As we learn about the stops, we learn about the states and their role within the history of slavery in America.

The story is told through Cora, a slave girl in Georgia. Through her story, we walk the rows of a plantation and witness the horrors that were commonplace for slaves: rape, sexual abuse, hangings and constant degradation. And, we hold our breath as Cora and another young slave escape, first into the tunnels and then into the unknown.

Their path is perilous. They're hunted by a ruthless slave catcher named Ridgeway, who has even greater motivation to bring Cora back to the plantation; her mother also escaped and eluded Ridgeway. 

Throughout the book, Cora slips in and out of safety, never to fully escape the chains in which she was born. You imagine - though you can't actually imagine - that life. Trying to be free, but always looking over her shoulder, knowing that capture means certain death, a hanging in the trees.

This book is many things. It's heartbreaking. It's a reflection of history. It's powerful in its subject matter. It's sweeping. I wasn't completely blown away by the prose - it was nothing fancy, nothing that made me reach over to grab my phone and make note of it. But, stripped down fits with the subject matter. You don't have to make this book something it's not; it's powerful in its narrative alone. Cora's story is hers alone, but also reflects the struggles and realities of so many slaves whose names we'll never know. 

Oh, and Cora? She's a total badass. A strong young girl who knows that it's worth risking death to leave the plantation. She's strong enough to fight against unthinkable odds, but her real strength lies in her vulnerable. emotional reflection of the reality of life as a runaway slave.

Should you read it? Guys, it won a Pulitzer. What more could I possibly add to that?