Overground Railroad

<B>A <I>New York Times</I> Notable Book, <I>Overground Railroad</I> explores the historical role and residual impact of the <I>Green Book</I>, the “Bible of Black Travel”</B><BR/><BR/> Published from 1936 to 1967, during the Jim Crow years and into the civil rights movement, when travel for black America was difficult and dangerous, the <I>Green Book</I> was an ingenious solution to a horrific problem. It listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, stores, nightclubs, and other businesses across the United States that were safe for black people to patronize. <I>Overground Railroad</I> celebrates the stories behind—and contained within—Victor Green’s guide, tracing its history and revealing the contemporary events that helped shape how black people endured and triumphed despite incredible obstacles.<BR/><BR/> Candacy Taylor drove through the neighborhoods where <I>Green Book</I> sites once thrived. Her work documents the scars that redlining, urban renewal, gentrification, and mass incarceration have left on these communities. Although less than 5 percent of Green Book businesses are still operating, these sites of sanctuary symbolize black ingenuity, resourcefulness, strength, entrepreneurship, and resilience. <I>Overground Railroad</I> tells the untold story of black travel, offering readers a rich opportunity to reexamine America’s story of segregation, black migration, and the rise of the black leisure class.