--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just finished Colson Whitehead's \"The…" description: "\"I just finished Colson Whitehead's \"The Underground Railroad,\" which I think is a work of genius.\" — Alice Hoffman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/alice-hoffman-427_finished_i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-u_1118996.png" --- # I just finished Colson Whitehead's "The Underground… ![“I just finished Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad," which I think is a work of genius.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/alice-hoffman-427_finished_i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-u_1118996.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/alice-hoffman-427_finished_i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-u_1118996.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/alice-hoffman-427_finished_i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-u_1118996.png) > “I just finished Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad," which I think is a work of genius.” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The novel is praised as a brilliant work, showcasing extraordinary storytelling and thematic depth. **In simple terms:** The book is a masterpiece of genius. Key Takeaway Read and reflect on its brilliance. Themes literature genius historical fiction depth Mood thoughtful admiring intellectual Type critical educational When to use this quote - book clubs - academic courses - creative writing - cultural discussions Key Concepts narrative craft social commentary artistic merit Questions to Reflect On - What elements define literary genius? - How does the novel reshape your view of history? A Different Perspective Genius may be subjective across readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-colson-3018203/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Just Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-finished-295832/) [Railroads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroads/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Underground railroad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underground-railroad/) [Whitehead Underground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whitehead-underground-3018204/) ## Related quotes > [“I have just finished "All the Colors of Darkness" 090209”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-robinson/i-have-just-finished-all-the-colors-of-darkness-090209/) [Peter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-robinson/) > [I just finished my 11th book last week, so I'm ready to start the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-stuart/i-just-finished-my-11th-book-last-week-so-i-m-ready-to-start-the-next/) [Gloria Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-stuart/) > [I know in the spy movies it always looks really cool when the operative goes from a maid's uniform to a slinky, sexy, ballgown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/i-know-in-the-spy-movies-it-always-looks-really-cool-when-the/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [ Thank God for Canada! In the context of this narrative \[in Underground\] and beyond, Canada was certainly an additional option for the many traveling… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/thank-god-for-canada-in-the-context-of-this-narrative-in-underground/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [For me, seeing our history told in this light, the ones who did rebel, the ones who did revolt, the revolutionaries, excited me. Seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett/for-me-seeing-our-history-told-in-this-light-the-ones-who-did-rebel/) [Jurnee Smollett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett/) > [Harriet Tubman fought American slavery single handed and was a pioneer in that organized effort known as the Underground Railroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/harriet-tubman-fought-american-slavery-single-handed-and-was-a/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Fortunately, I come from an activist mother, so I didn't have to rely on the history books. The history books teach us nothing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett/fortunately-i-come-from-an-activist-mother-so-i-didn-t-have-to-rely/) [Jurnee Smollett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett/) > [The only free road, the Underground Railroad, is owned and managed by the Vigilant Committee. They have tunneled under the whole breadth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-only-free-road-the-underground-railroad-is-owned-and-managed-by/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Before the Civil War, Canada was at the top of the underground railroad. If you made it into Canada, you were safe unless someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/before-the-civil-war-canada-was-at-the-top-of-the-underground/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-tubman/i-was-the-most-famous-conductor-on-the-underground-railroad/) [Harriet Tubman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-tubman/) > [Aside from Family Guy? I spent most of my career-life on Family Guy. It's a good question. Since Family Guy was my first show,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-macfarlane/aside-from-family-guy-i-spent-most-of-my-career-life-on-family-guy-it/) [Seth Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-macfarlane/) > [I just finished a film with Michael Radford called Dancing at the Blue Iguana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hannah/i-just-finished-a-film-with-michael-radford-called-dancing-at-the/) [Daryl Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hannah/) > [I just finished Narc, which was a really heavy duty, raw, independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-liotta/i-just-finished-narc-which-was-a-really-heavy-duty-raw-independent/) [Ray Liotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-liotta/) > [I just finished a Jackie Chan movie, yes. That was an experience. I can mark that off on my bucket list.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/i-just-finished-a-jackie-chan-movie-yes-that-was-an-experience-i-can/) [Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/) > [JUst finished this …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mee/just-finished-this/) [Mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mee/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Finished quotes > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) > [When you do a voice in an animated film, you don't see the finished product at all. You're not animating. You're not doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/when-you-do-a-voice-in-an-animated-film-you-don-t-see-the-finished/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [When you begin your work, nothing exists. When it is finished it looks as if it just happened, spontaneously, effortlessly, convincingly. It looks as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-zeisel/when-you-begin-your-work-nothing-exists-when-it-is-finished-it-looks/) [Eva Zeisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-zeisel/) > [You've got to be careful against classy fighters, especially counter-punchers because if you go for the finish too early, you can end up getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/you-ve-got-to-be-careful-against-classy-fighters-especially-counter/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I think I can recognize when a piece is at a state of completion. I always say to my wife, "Oh yeah, it's roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-think-i-can-recognize-when-a-piece-is-at-a-state-of-completion-i/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [A good, finished scandal, fully armed and equipped, such as circulates in the world, is rarely the production of a single individual, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/a-good-finished-scandal-fully-armed-and-equipped-such-as-circulates/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/) [Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/) > [Don't be intimidated by the size of your problem or the size of your dream. God will see to it that it is finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-be-intimidated-by-the-size-of-your-problem-or-the-size-of-your/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-adam-was-a-gardener-and-god-who-made-him-sees-that-half-a-proper/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Since the recording process is instantaneous, and the nature of the image such that it cannot survive corrective handwork, it is obvious that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/since-the-recording-process-is-instantaneous-and-the-nature-of-the/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [As a matter of fact, even when I finished law school, I had no notion of public service then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dinkins/as-a-matter-of-fact-even-when-i-finished-law-school-i-had-no-notion/) [David Dinkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dinkins/) [Browse all 2,024 Finished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I just finished Colson Whitehead's \"The Underground Railroad,\" which I think is a work of genius.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Hoffman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-underground-railroad-which-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finished" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-underground-railroad-which-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/alice-hoffman-427_finished_i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-u_1118996.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/alice-hoffman-427_finished_i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-u_1118996.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/alice-hoffman-427_finished_i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-u_1118996.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I just finished Colson Whitehead's \"The Underground Railroad,\" which I think is a work of genius.” — Alice Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Hoffman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I just finished Colson Whitehead's \"The...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-underground-railroad-which-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-just-finished-colson-whitehead-s-the-underground-railroad-which-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```