The Underground Railroad Records

Narrating the Hardships, Hairbreadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom

By: William Still, Ta-Nehisi Coates - introduction, Quincy T. Mills - editor

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free, JD Jackson, Sullivan Jones, Heather Alicia Simms, Bahni Turpin

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

A riveting collection of the hardships, hairbreadth escapes, and mortal struggles of enslaved people seeking freedom: These are the true stories of the Underground Railroad.

Featuring a powerful introduction by Ta-Nehisi Coates 

As a conductor for the Underground Railroad - the covert resistance network created to aid and protect slaves seeking freedom - William Still helped as many as 800 people escape enslavement. He also meticulously collected the letters, biographical sketches, arrival memos, and ransom notes of the escapees. The Underground Railroad Records is an archive of primary documents that trace the narrative arc of the greatest, most successful campaign of civil disobedience in American history.

This edition highlights the remarkable creativity, resilience, and determination demonstrated by those trying to subvert bondage. It is a timeless testament to the power we all have to challenge systems that oppress us.

©2020 William Still (P)2020 Random House Audio

This Book is Abridged by Two Thirds!

I never set out to buy abridged books.
This book is listed on Audible as unabridged.
Only upon purchase does one hear editor Quincy T. Mills explain that he's done the reader a favor: "This present edition has been heavily edited to provide listeners access to this significant text. While I have omitted approximately two thirds of the material, I have privileged the experiences of women and families in this edition."
Well, thanks.
How did Mills ever discern that I might not be able to get through the more than 800 pages in the original volume, or that I lack the discretion to make my own judgments about what is valuable in it? I hope he will soon help me out further by winnowing those convoluted regulations in Leviticus, or perhaps by following his predecessor Thomas Bowdler into making Shakespeare less shocking to ladies and young children and more in tune with these times of alternative facts.
Mills' own writing shows he has the judgment and the ear for language to take on such tasks. See how he transforms the noun "privilege" into a verb? How graceful.
To be serious, I should think it's pretty clear why I'm giving this book poor marks in the "Overall" and "Story" categories. I stopped listening the moment I heard Mills confess to what he's done, so I'm not qualified to judge the quality of the performance. I simply gave a middling grade there because Audible requires an entry.
Audible should remove this assault on William Still's work from its inventory. Since it probably won't, the very least it can do is list it as abridged. I'm returning it for a refund.

American History 101

This book should be introduced to classrooms across the USA. Every student should read this as a part of America History. Very well done. I feel “woke”.

WTFFFFF

I got this book because MY FAMILY WAS PART OF THE CAMBRIDGE 28 .... AND SHOLD BE A PART OF THIS DAMN BOOK JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE...!! How dare y’all butcher the fuvkin story ....?!?!?!

These are gripping, well-performed stories!

How wonderful to listen to these true stories about the people who escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad. I didn’t realize such varied stories were collected in the 1850’s and published after the Civil War.
It required some patience to listen to some of the stilted, repetitive descriptions of the escaping people, but we are fortunate to hear just how badly slave owners behaved and how brave were those who escaped and operated within the Underground Railroad network.

Underground Railraod was Amazing

Ths is a must listen! Informative, thrilling and inspiring! The fight to be free is priceless

Must read on the Underground Railroad

Very good book on the history of the Underground Railroad that covers the topic from the words of enslaved people in their letters.

Fascinating history!

This is a fantastic way to understand the direct impact of slavery on individual victims. This non fictitious recount from slaves themselves is so revealing and staggeringly tragic.

A Must!

This book was well done and most certainly should be on everyone's reading list. Such an important part in contribution to the history of the United States. I highly recommend this book. Great job on the narration as well!

A difficult body of work to articulate

The records of The Underground Railroad being a disjointed body of information is surely a difficult body of work to articulate in the fashion of an audio book. This team has done an excellent job of it though! I highly recommend this audio book.

Required reading for High School US history!

These amazing accounts should be required reading for High School US history courses! Though this is nonfiction, the records documented here were riveting. I knew of the Underground Railroad, of course, but learning about it again through primary sources was jaw-dropping. A must read/ listen. You will not be disappointed.