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Featured Titles, Promotions & Events Listen to Oprah’s Book Club Pick, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead, read by award-winning narrator Bahni Turpin Submitted by Jennifer Rubins on August 2, 2016

Colson Whitehead’s THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is, according to Oprah Winfrey herself, an “experience.” From the very first line of the book, Oprah was “in,” she told audiences as she announced her new official book club selection via video on CBS This Morning: “This is one of the most grim, gripping, powerful novels about slavery I have ever experienced. And I use the word ‘experience’ because the read is a journey that you take with all of the characters…”

The audiobook of this unforgettable story proves itself to be a powerful experience for any listener as well, a journey led by the astounding Odyssey Award-winning narrator Bahni Turpin. Be sure to offer the audio edition alongside the print at your library. THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is also available in large print. All editions are on sale now.*

Hear that first line that grabbed Oprah’s attention and wouldn’t let go, in this audio excerpt:

In his sixth novel, Whitehead tells the harrowing story of Cora, an indomitable teenage slave and her desperate bid for freedom from an antebellum cotton plantation in Georgia circa 1850. THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share.

The novel has earned starred pre-publication reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal and Booklist. Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times Book Review have named THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD as one of the most anticipated books of 2016.

Click here for a message from Oprah.

“[H]aunting narration…Turpin’s performance of this intense, imaginative, and grim odyssey makes it feel disturbingly real.”—Booklist, starred audio review

“Bahni Turpin’s narration is near perfection as she captures the emotional heart of this audiobook. Her sensitive pacing allows listeners to absorb the impact of intense scenes and tugs them along when the plot races. By using well-crafted dialect and authentic-sounding accents, Turpin believably dramatizes the wide range of characters…”—AudioFile Earphones Award

“Hard-driving, laser-sharp, artistically superlative, and deeply compassionate, Whitehead’s unforgettable odyssey adds a clarion new facet to the literature of racial tyranny and liberation.”—Booklist, starred review

“A highly recommended work that raises the bar for fiction addressing slavery.”—Library Journal, starred review

*Please note, this title is ranked in our BOT Fall 2016 catalog. The date and ISBNs have been changed and are as follows:

On Sale August 2, 2016

BOT CD 9781524736279
BOT audio download 9781524736286
Large Print 9781524736309

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