If you traveled on the Underground Railroad

A brief history of the Underground Railroad, with tributes to some of its most successful conductors. Part of a relaunch of the If You Lived series, this title takes on the same subject and question-and-answer format as Ellen Levine's 1988 book of the same name but is otherwise different. Where Levine's book referred to you, Wilkins uses they and them to refer to those who sought to escape enslavement. And where Levine's book explored the roles of White abolitionists like Harriet Beecher Stowe and William Lloyd Garrison, Wilkins highlights the heroic achievements of conductors of African descent, from Harriet Tubman to William Still and David Ruggles. In her narrative, Wilkins creates vivid pictures of the journey's dangers as well as of the day-to-day brutality of slavery, beginning with the arrival of White enslavers to Africa in 1501 and the arrival of African captives in North America in 1619. She highlights the roles of women, including early escapee Harriet Powell and Harriet Scott, who sued for freedom right along with her better-known husband, Dred. In Walthall's illustrations, individualized brown faces in diverse hues with fearful, courageous, or dignified expressions predominate, leading up to a final march that crosses eras to modern times. "The Underground Railroad may be part of history now," the author concludes, "but the fight for freedoms and reparations for African people and their descendants lives on." A fiery and inspiring look at a pivotal period in U.S. history. (additional reading, glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.