An Update on My Reading Goal: Underground Airlines

The most recent book I have read off NPR’s list of the 10 best books of 2016 is Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters.

Winters introduces us to a modern-day America in which the Civil War has not taken place and slavery still exists in four southern states.

The story centers around Victor, a former slave forced into working as a bounty hunter for slaves who have escaped north.

The government has enacted laws against violent slavery, yet neglects to address the ethical issue of people owning people.

Winters explores these ethical injustices and reminds us of the impact history has on our current ways of doing things. A few times I felt like the character development, especially that of Victor, fell a bit short, but all-in-all, the book is intriguing and worth the read.

(Image from amazon.com)

Here is the updated list:

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters

Eleanor Roosevelt: The War Years and After, 1939-1962 by Blanche Wiesen Cook

Eyes on the Street: The Life of Jane Jacobs by Robert Kanigel