History is more than dates and events on a timeline, more than a handful of significant people who have an impact. It is comprised of the stories of individuals who are often forgotten and full of truths too often elided—until one begins to look for them.

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In The Wheel, Jack Head puts faces on the heroes of the Underground Railroad, bringing history to life through the stories of everyday people who all brought something unique to the fight for freedom. These personalities include William Poor, who doesn’t yet realize how the trade skills he learns from his father and grandfather will allow him to help those seeking freedom, Mingo Quameno, an enslaved person seeking freedom, and other notable figures from the abolitionist movement. 

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In realizing these narratives, Head refuses to turn away from the realities often ignored in this history—like the covert ways slavery continued after abolition and the slave trade in Canada. A combination of the author’s passion for genealogy with his decades-long study of the individuals who make up history, The Wheel is a historically detailed, narratively compelling account of the Underground Railroad that is both engrossing and informative.