In keeping with this column's end-of-the-year tradition of highlighting favorite titles, a number of readers' advisors have surveyed their bookshelves and pulled novels they have deeply enjoyed. Colson Whitehead's THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (Doubleday. Aug. 2016. ISBN 9780385542364. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9780385537049) is an important work of storytelling about slavery, with moments of fantasy that surprise and engage the reader. Caesar, a slave recently arrived, identifies Cora's strength and asks her to escape with him from a gruesome plantation. For the journey toward freedom, the author uses the concept of an actual train with secret stations that take Cora from Georgia to North Carolina to Indiana. The fear of being identified and returned to her owner is palpable throughout, and the suffering from slavery shows that Cora's fortitude and perseverance are truly heroic. [An LJ Top Ten Best Book of 2016, p. 27.-Ed.]
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