Cora, a teenage slave, lives on a Georgia cotton plantation. Her mother escaped when Cora was a child, and was never re-captured. Cora has had to fend for herself ever since. A new slave to the plantation (Caesar) asks her to escape with him. Even though her life is a living hell, she is afraid of what will happen if she gets caught trying to get away, so she refuses. However, when she is beaten for defending a smaller slave who is being severely punished, she decides to go with Caesar anyway. The two of them escape on the Underground Railroad, which in this novel is a real, not figurative, railroad that was built underground. They escape to South Carolina, where they live for a time as though they are free.
However, the fact that her mother escaped never to be found has caused a festering resentment in her owner. He is determined not to be foiled by another slave, and hires Ridgeway, a ruthless slave catcher, to find her and bring her back. She suffers many times over; every time she thinks she is settled and safe, Ridgeway shows up and she must flee again. In the process, many people who help her suffer cruel punishments.
This books reminds us of a part of our history that we would prefer not to remember.
322 pages
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