The Water Dancer
An enslaved man with a mysterious power joins the Underground Railroad to rescue the family he was separated from.
Themes & atmosphere
Also by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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What you might want to know about The Water Dancer
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Hiram Walker is the enslaved son of a fading Virginia tobacco plantation owner and a Black mother who was sold away when he was small. After he survives a carriage crash in the Goose River, he discovers a power he calls Conduction, and is recruited into the secret network running people north.
Yes. The Water Dancer (2019) was Ta-Nehisi Coates's debut novel. He is best known as the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me (2015).
Yes. A film and TV adaptation has been announced with Oprah's production company. As of 2025, the project remains in development.
The Water Dancer was written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, published in 2019 by One World.
The Water Dancer is 416 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Water Dancer takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
The Water Dancer is a standalone novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates, not part of a series.
The Water Dancer is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.