“Most American history textbooks paint a romantic picture of the the Underground Railroad. In his new book Bound for Canaan author Fergus Bordewich challenges those images, telling the story of a bi-racial movement animated by moral outrage, religious fervor and radical politics.” —National Public Radio

Listen to Fergus Bordewich interviewed on National Public Radio

“The author’s skill in unearthing long-buried sources of information in an area of history where so little was written down, is impressive. The rediscovery of contemporary voices such as Josiah Henson, a slave who won his freedom in a harrowing cross-country escape with his family in tow, adds new insight to the better-known sagas of harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Together they tell a story that, as Bordewich so eloquently puts it, ‘is no more “black history” than it is “white history”: it is American history, and it swept into its orbit Americans of every hue.’” —Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch

“The book is comprehensive, authoritative, and a darn good read.” —Albany (NY) Times-Union

“...must reading for anyone interested in American history. This is history the way it should be written — totally accessible, and filled with details and descriptions not easily found elsewhere.” —KUOW, Seattle, WA

“...an important addition to our often murky conception of mid-19th century America... sweeping.” —St. Petersburg (FL) Times

“...excellent... I tried to read a section of this book aloud to my wife, and after one page found myself so overcome by emotion that I couldn't speak. Bordewich alternates stories that are very sad, and embarrassing, with uplifting accounts of the people who got away and the good folks who helped them. All in all, it’s a part of American history that everyone should know—and great reading, too.” —Providence (RI) Journal

“A vivid reconstruction of abolitionism’s most daring act of rebellion…. Rich in detail and solid storytelling: sure to awaken interest in the peculiar anti-institution.” —Kirkus Reviews Starred

“This is a masterful story—a deeply American story—of the human quest for freedom.  This multi-racial movement is still a beacon of hope in our present dark times.” —Cornel West, University Professor of Religion, Princeton University, and author of Race Matters

“This fast-paced narrative is the best account we have of the network of back roads and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad to freedom in that Promised Land.” —James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

“Fergus Bordewich has done the nearly impossible. It has been over 100 years since a comprehensive work like this has been written on the Underground Railroad…. Bound for Canaan liberates us all from the myths of the Underground Railroad, and shines a bright light on the real inner workings of what was once a powerfully secret and wholly illegal operation.” —Kate Clifford Larson, Ph.D., Bound For the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero
(For more on Harriet Tubman please visit harriettubmanbiography.com)