This was a spontaneous entry into my 2023 reading. I was in a DC hotel a couple of nights ago, and had finished a disappointing book on my Kindle (The Last Russian Doll) and “needed” a new book to read. I borrow ebooks from my public library via the Libby app, and wanted to read one that I already had a physical copy of on my shelves. This was my first Colson Whitehead book but judging by how utterly compelling I found The Underground Railroad, it won’t be my last. The novel is searing, emotionally wrenching, and brutal. It’s also a fantastic mix of historical events, allegory, and metaphor made manifest. A book that is deserving of all its accolades.