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Pros: Cora was fierce, feisty and never broke even under the worst pressure/Some of the "station agents" were helpful, gentle, kind souls and gave you hope that not everyone back then was a close minded bigot.
Cons: The fact that people ever thought they could own other people, is sickening. Not a con of the book but of the Country itself/Ridgeway and Homers ending was just odd.
Full Review
Cora was born into Slavery on the Terrance Plantation in Georgia. Her mother, Mabel is the only slave that ever ran and was never caught. Cora doesn’t understand why she didn’t take her with her and it’s been a seed of resentment planted at a young age.
When another slave, Caesar approaches Cora and asks her to run with him, she refuses. Later that day, when she’s beaten by the Master for trying to defend another slave, she reconsiders. When Casear asks her again, she agrees and he explains his plan.
He was contacted by a station agent of the Underground Railroad when selling his wood-working in the Market. The agent's agreed to meet them but the plan goes awry when another slave, Lovey follows them. They're set upon and in the ensuing scuffle, Lovey is dragged away and Cora hits a white boy ont the head with a rock.
She and Casear eventually make it to the agent's farm where they're taken to their first stop on the Underground Railroad. It's an actual station with an actual train, so, it’s quite literally a Railroad, connected by various tunnels and kept secret by the many agents scattered throughout the states.
She and Caesar make it to South Carolina where slaves are given the chance to work but also attend school, receive medical care and have lives of their own. At least, that’s how it seems but there’s a darker part to this states' supposed “uplift” program that Cora starts to realize.
It all goes to Hell though and Cora makes her escape to the Railroad once more. And all this time, an infamous Slave Catcher named Ridgeway has been hunting her since Georgia. He failed to catch her mother, so he's determined to bring her back to the Randall Plantation and save his reputation.
From one situation to the next, Cora sees the differences in the States. How some places are a little more accepting of black people, while others will happily turn in friends and family to Slave Catchers just to get the bounty for a runaway slave.
This was not an easy book nor was it meant to be. It painted a brutally honest picture of America during one of the Nations darkest points in history. Cora’s story is one of desperation and fear but also courage and hope that maybe at the next stop, she’ll be able to find a life worth living, a life where she can be free. And though she struggles and is met with dead ends, pitfalls and horrific circumstances, through it all, she remains strong and steadfast and her story will stay with me for a long time to come.
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