Preview
  • Bound for Canaan

  • The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America
  • By: Fergus M. Bordewich
  • Narrated by: Fergus M. Bordewich
  • Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars (25 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Bound for Canaan

By: Fergus M. Bordewich
Narrated by: Fergus M. Bordewich
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.09

Buy for $17.09

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

An important book of epic scope on America's first racially integrated, religiously inspired movement for change.

The civil war brought to a climax the country's bitter division. But the beginnings of slavery's denouement can be traced to a courageous band of ordinary Americans, Black and White, slave and free, who joined forces to create what would come to be known as the Underground Railroad, a movement that occupies as romantic a place in the nation's imagination as the Lewis and Clark expedition. The true story of the Underground Railroad is much more morally complex and politically divisive than even the myths suggest. Against a backdrop of the country's westward expansion arose a fierce clash of values that was nothing less than a war for the country's soul. Not since the American Revolution had the country engaged in an act of such vast and profound civil disobedience that not only challenged prevailing mores but also subverted federal law.

Bound for Canaan tells the stories of men and women like David Ruggles, who invented the Black underground in New York City; bold Quakers like Isaac Hopper and Levi Coffin, who risked their lives to build the Underground Railroad; and the inimitable Harriet Tubman. Interweaving thrilling personal stories with the politics of slavery and abolition, Bound for Canaan shows how the Underground Railroad gave birth to this country's first racially integrated, religiously inspired movement for social change.

©2005 Fergus Bordewich (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers
  • Abridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"An excellent book...as close to a definitive history as we're likely to see." (The Wall Street Journal)

"The...stories...inspire, horrify, and humble." (Washington Post)

What listeners say about Bound for Canaan

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Should have used a professional reader

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Generally I like to hear the author read, but Mr. Bordewich has a habit of starting a sentence loudly and trailing off to a half-whisper at the end. It makes it difficult to find a comfortable volume, and very annoying to listen to. Despite an otherwise engaging narrative, I couldn't make it past the first chapter. Maybe I'll try the Kindle version.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful