Black Coffee discussion

Please nominate a book that has the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD as a major theme or subject.

The book can be fiction or non-fiction.

Please nominate ONE (1) book

Nominations will close on January 13 and the poll will start. The top two poll choices will be our group reads starting February 15.

I just bought this one at BAM so...


The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

New York Times bestselling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier makes her first fictional foray into the American past in The Last Runaway, bringing to life the Underground Railroad and illuminating the principles, passions and realities that fueled this extraordinary freedom movement.

When I was little I read this book: Freedom Crossing. I haven't read it in years but for me it was suspenseful.

It centers around a Northern girl who has spent some time in the South with relatives and has therefore come to believe that slavery is okay. She returns to the North only to discover that her father and brother are involved in the Underground Railroad (drama alert, lol)! It's meant for YA readers I believe but I read it several times and always found it entertaining. :)

YA is fine Anastasia. We have read YA in this group in the past and we enjoyed it. I did notice that there are more YA books with this subject than adult for some reason.

Londa wrote: "YA is fine Anastasia. We have read YA in this group in the past and we enjoyed it. I did notice that there are more YA books with this subject than adult for some reason."

I theorize that it's easier to introduce younger readers to the evils of slavery when there's a happy(ish) ending.

Good theory Anastasia!

The Price of a Child: A Novel byLorene Cary

Set during the antebellum period, Carey's first novel tells of a woman who escapes from slavery only to be haunted by the memory of the baby she had to leave behind.

I went back & forth on a couple of books on my tbr but decided to nominate this book:



Comfort: A Novel of the Reverse Underground Railroad by Harry A. Maxson

Comfort is a talented young seamstress who has worked to buy her freedom from slavery from her benevolent owner, an Irish immigrant and former indentured servant. Her husband Cuff is an unwise, irresponsible and weak man who sells his wife to pay his gambling debt. When Comfort falls into the hands of the reprehensible dealer of human flesh Joe Johnson, she is sold south to Virginia, to a cruel master and poor manager. Comfort’s stalwart friend Esther, is a slave whose skin is pale enough for her to pass as white. Esther possesses an extensive knowledge of “Roots”, the native art of using plants for therapeutic and not-so-therapeutic purposes. Esther pairs with Pompey, a mute freed slave who is clever and resourceful, to escape her sadistic owner, travel south to find Comfort and help her find her way back to freedom and her baby girl. Comfort tells the story of how shared morality and character can lead to unlikely partnerships in intrepid heroism. This extraordinary work by veteran authors sets a new standard for interpretation of the reverse underground railroad.

Free Enterprise: A Novel of Mary Ellen Pleasant by Michelle Cliff

Great nominations!

Please go vote!

POLL HERE