OVERGROUND RAILROAD is a fictional story that provides a glimpse into the world of millions of African American families, who escaped destitution in the South and secretly journeyed toward legal and financial freedom in more urban communities across America during the Great Migration. The book helps readers, young and old alike, better understand an important and often overlooked period in American history. During the train ride, Ruth Ellen reads about social reformer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and is able to connect her journey to 'The Promised Land' to his quest for freedom. The long journey away from oppression toward a bright future is told through the eyes of young Ruth Ellen who details the change in scenery, laws, and people as her sharecropper family travels on the New York bound Silver Meteor train from North Carolina in May 1939. Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome, worked in perfect unison with husband and fellow Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator James Ransome to bring the heart of this story to life. Parents need to know that Overground Railroad pays homage to the journey that millions of African Americans took to escape the rural South and embark on a new journey during what's known as the Great Migration. The family refuses to let go of their dream, despite how hard the journey may be. They are all positive role models, as they display perseverance and great aspirations throughout the story. Ruth Ellen and her parents found the courage to leave their family and home behind under the cover of darkness, due to their unpleasant and dangerous circumstances, in search of the American Dream. The book portrays a loving African American family in search of a better and brighter future for themselves.

The overground railroad