MashReads Podcast: 'Underground Airlines' tackles racism by imaging America where slavery still exists

The Civil War indelibly shaped the course of American history. But what would the United States look like if the war never happened?

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Underground Airlines by Ben Winters, a novel that imagines just that -- a world where the Civil War never occurred and slavery still exists in four states dubbed "The Hard Four." Now it's up to a man who calls himself Victor, a former slave himself, to track down and return runaway slaves. But his mission isn't as straightforward as it seems as he is soon swept into a conspiracy plot that threatens to shake the core of America.

Join us as we chat about whether this world could actually exist, the power of speculative fiction in tapping into real culture, and the controversy of Ben Winters, a white writer, writing this book from a black perspective.

Then, inspired by the way Underground Airlines reimagines modern life, we chat about our favorite speculative fiction including Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, What If? by Randall Munroe, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and more.

As always, we close the show with recommendations.

• Aliza recommends Caleb Roehrig's YA murder mystery novel Last Seen Leaving. "The mystery of it is so good, the twists in it are amazing. It's a very good 'welcome to October' kind of read."

• Peter recommends the movie Don't Breathe. "It's about a group of 20-something ne'er-do-wells who take it upon themselves to rob a blind man; and he may have some tricks and nasty secrets up his sleeve.

• MJ recommends two books: Lauren Groff's short story collection Delicate Edible Birds. "It's so beautifully written, so feminist, so realized." He also recommends Ocean Vuong's poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds. "It's just a really moving collection. His poems just hurt your soul; they're so good."

We hope you join us next week on the podcast as we talk about Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.

Also, if you are looking for something new to read, check out our official MashReads October book club selection: Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead. Whitehead will be chatting with MashReads IRL on Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. ET, at MashableHQ in New York City. RSVP here if you'd like to attend our bookclub discussion. 

And if you're looking for more book news, don't forget to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter.