Status
Available
Series
Collections
Publication
Top Shelf Productions (2015), Edition: Illustrated, 192 pages
Description
Comic and Graphic Books. History. African American Nonfiction. Young Adult Nonfiction. HTML: After the success of the Nashville sit-in movement, John Lewis' commitment to change through nonviolence is stronger than ever �?? but as he and his fellow Freedom Riders board a bus into the vicious heart of the deep south, they will be tested like never before. Faced with beatings, police brutality, imprisonment, arson, and even murder, the movement's young activists place their lives on the line while internal conflicts threaten to tear them apart.But their courage will attract the notice of powerful allies, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy... and once Lewis is elected chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, this 23-year-old will be thrust into the national spotlight, becoming one of the "Big Six" leaders of the civil rights movement and a central figure in the landmark 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member MarysGirl
Finished March: Book Two which continues the graphic illustration of the the Civil Rights movement. This one picks up where March: Book One left off, including the framing story of President Obama's inauguration day. Lewis covers a couple of crucial years: the summer of the Freedom Riders (1961)
The text was hard to read and the pictures harder to look at. The artist Nate Powell eerily captures the mad glee of a waitress who dumps a box of soap flakes over the heads of black customers, sprays them with a fire hose, and turns of up the air conditioner; the learned hatred on a boy's face as he kicks and punches, at his father's urging, a downed Freedom Rider; and the cold cruelty of "Bull" Connor as he fire hoses and sets vicious dogs on marching black children.
Lewis and his colleagues are beaten and jailed several times (I loved the "mattress wars" in jail); their buses fire-bombed, and field workers murdered; but they gained national attention as images of the brutal repression showed up in everyone's living rooms on the nightly news. These years are a crucial turning point because they also gained the attention of the new President John Kennedy and his Attorney General Robert Kennedy. The leaders of the movement were invited to the White House and counseled, again, to "slow down and be patient." Their response? The March on Washington.
Sprinkled throughout the narrative are insights into how the various organizations involved in the movement got along or didn't, as well as some of the internal frictions within the organizations, but the focus is on the overall goal of the movement and their successful use of non-violence. The book ends with the bombing of a church and the cries of frantic parents looking for their children in the rubble. On to Book Three.
Show More
and culminating with the March on Washington (1963). These years were filled with inspiring acts of pacifist courage in the face of virulent hatred and violence. The text was hard to read and the pictures harder to look at. The artist Nate Powell eerily captures the mad glee of a waitress who dumps a box of soap flakes over the heads of black customers, sprays them with a fire hose, and turns of up the air conditioner; the learned hatred on a boy's face as he kicks and punches, at his father's urging, a downed Freedom Rider; and the cold cruelty of "Bull" Connor as he fire hoses and sets vicious dogs on marching black children.
Lewis and his colleagues are beaten and jailed several times (I loved the "mattress wars" in jail); their buses fire-bombed, and field workers murdered; but they gained national attention as images of the brutal repression showed up in everyone's living rooms on the nightly news. These years are a crucial turning point because they also gained the attention of the new President John Kennedy and his Attorney General Robert Kennedy. The leaders of the movement were invited to the White House and counseled, again, to "slow down and be patient." Their response? The March on Washington.
Sprinkled throughout the narrative are insights into how the various organizations involved in the movement got along or didn't, as well as some of the internal frictions within the organizations, but the focus is on the overall goal of the movement and their successful use of non-violence. The book ends with the bombing of a church and the cries of frantic parents looking for their children in the rubble. On to Book Three.
Show Less
LibraryThing member streamsong
After being utterly blown away by the first in this series, I feared the second one might be a bit of a letdown, as sequels sometimes are. Wrong. This one also hit me right between the eyes.
John Lewis continues his story of the civil rights struggle. He details being a freedom rider on segregated
It's amazing the impact these books have. I believe they should be required reading in schools throughout the U.S.
Edit | More
John Lewis continues his story of the civil rights struggle. He details being a freedom rider on segregated
Show More
buses and the arrests, beatings and humiliations he endured. He then goes on to the March On Washington, the first time that thousands of blacks united and made themselves known as a force that couldn't be denied. Due to the actions Lewis and many other brave souls took, they started changing Attorney General Robert Kennedy's perspective on civil rights and the law of the land began changing.It's amazing the impact these books have. I believe they should be required reading in schools throughout the U.S.
Edit | More
Show Less
LibraryThing member norabelle414
Further graphic novel story of Rep. John Lewis' life during the civil rights movement. This middle volume spans Nashville lunch counter sit-ins in 1960, freedom rides and arrests in 1961, and the March on Washington in 1963.
It drags a little, as middle volumes of trilogies tend to do. This is a
It drags a little, as middle volumes of trilogies tend to do. This is a
Show More
very demoralizing section, but there are lots of great quotes and things to think about. I started reading this trilogy in the hopes that I would find inspiration to stand up for what I believe in and protest myself, and just as I am feeling lost and demoralized, John Lewis gives me good advice and lots to ponder. Hopefully when I get to the third volume in a month or two I will be ready for it as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member uufnn
From the inside of the back cover of the book: "John Lewis is the U. S. Representative for Georgia's fifth congressional district and an American icon widely known for his role in the Civil Rights Movement. As a student. . .Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in
Show More
Nashville, Tennessee. In 1961, he volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South. He was beaten severely [and repeatedly] by angry mobs and arrested by police. . .[but retained his belief in non-violence]. In 2011 he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Andrew Aydin, [co-author is[ an Atlanta native, currently serv[ing] as Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Rep. John Lewis. . .Previously, he served as communications director and press secretary during Lewis' 2008 and 2010 campaigns, as district aide to Rep. John Larson, and as special assistant to Connecticut Lt. Governor Kevin Sullivan. Nate Powell is a New York Times best-selling graphic novelist born in Little Rock, Arkansas. . .[He is a winner of the Eisner Award and Ignatz Award, and a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize.] LeVar Burton, the host and executive producer of the long-running PBS children's series, Reading Rainbow, recommends this work. Book Two of the March series is, if anything, is even more riveting than Book One. John Lewis was the child of Alabama sharecroppers, who was educated in a segregated schoolroom and after participating on a local level became head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. As time went on Lewis becomes known as one of Big Six, along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. in the Civil Rights Movement. High school students were recruited to be part of the movement and faced fire hoses and attack dogs. This book culminates with the March on Washington where King gave his I Have a Dream Speech. John Lewis also spoke at that time and his moving speech is printed in its entirety. Many people are anxiously awaiting the third and final book in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirikayla
Now I have to take back what I said about the first book, about the black and white illustrations being easy to follow. There is so much going on in some of these scenes, with multiple threads of narration and dialogue progressing simultaneously, that it becomes chaotic and confusing and a little
I'm beginning to think these books may be one of the most important resources I've seen for learning about the civil rights movement. The sad fact is that history is very difficult to connect with if you haven't had some kind of personal experience, and you need to be able to connect with it if it's ever going to be more than names and dates on a page. I watched Dr. King's speech more than once in school, but when you hear the same words over and over again, see the same images, and never get beyond that, it all kind of loses meaning. You see him as a historical figure, not a real person, and you don't get any sense of the struggle and pain and fear and hope—you just hear some nice words and maybe you even think, "Well, I'm glad that all worked out."
In these books, you get to follow along and actually see it as if you were there. And because John Lewis was one of the prominent figures of the time, you see a lot of the big moments from the inside. He makes a point, I think, of mentioning other important figures—even to the extent that those mentions seem a little random—just because we need to know who they are. And, although he skips the fact that female leaders of the movement were excluded from the March on Washington, he does mention them frequently throughout the story. Which I realize sounds like undeserved feminist cookies, because they were there, so why wouldn't he mention them? But even so, I was glad every time I saw one of their names.
Of course we can't expect that these books cover every detail of an entire national movement, and I'm sure that there are other important men missing as well as women. But based on my admittedly non-expert knowledge thus far, I think Congressman Lewis has given us a lot to go on. I can't wait for the third book to come out.
Show More
frantic. But then, that seems fairly appropriate for what's happening in them.I'm beginning to think these books may be one of the most important resources I've seen for learning about the civil rights movement. The sad fact is that history is very difficult to connect with if you haven't had some kind of personal experience, and you need to be able to connect with it if it's ever going to be more than names and dates on a page. I watched Dr. King's speech more than once in school, but when you hear the same words over and over again, see the same images, and never get beyond that, it all kind of loses meaning. You see him as a historical figure, not a real person, and you don't get any sense of the struggle and pain and fear and hope—you just hear some nice words and maybe you even think, "Well, I'm glad that all worked out."
In these books, you get to follow along and actually see it as if you were there. And because John Lewis was one of the prominent figures of the time, you see a lot of the big moments from the inside. He makes a point, I think, of mentioning other important figures—even to the extent that those mentions seem a little random—just because we need to know who they are. And, although he skips the fact that female leaders of the movement were excluded from the March on Washington, he does mention them frequently throughout the story. Which I realize sounds like undeserved feminist cookies, because they were there, so why wouldn't he mention them? But even so, I was glad every time I saw one of their names.
Of course we can't expect that these books cover every detail of an entire national movement, and I'm sure that there are other important men missing as well as women. But based on my admittedly non-expert knowledge thus far, I think Congressman Lewis has given us a lot to go on. I can't wait for the third book to come out.
Show Less
LibraryThing member EllsbethB
This is a captivating way to tell John Lewis's story as a Freedom Rider. It really puts you into the action, explaining many of the details about these events to help you to better understand what was at stake and what protesters actually risked. Powell's images are both beautiful and haunting. I
Show More
want to include this book in my classes and I can't wait for book three. Show Less
LibraryThing member ewyatt
Continues the graphic novel started with March Book One, telling the story of John Lewis and his involvement in the fight for Civil Rights. This book again intersperses events from 1960-1963 with the inauguration of President Obama. From the Freedom Rides to the March on Washington, this book
His story inspires and offers insight into the strength, danger, and dedication to the cause shown by those who worked to fight for change.
Show More
covers a tumultuous time when Lewis rises to leadership of SNCC and devotes himself further to social change using non-violence. He was one of the speakers during the March on Washington, the last living speaker from the dais that day. His story inspires and offers insight into the strength, danger, and dedication to the cause shown by those who worked to fight for change.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mamzel
This book continues the fantastic story of the civil rights movement. Outstanding!
LibraryThing member brangwinn
Much detail has been packed into the March trilogy. My review is about all three books. Reading just one is like reading the third of the way through a book. It’s not a simple overview of the Civil Rights Movement and Representative John Lewis’ part in it. It is the passionate story of Lewis
Show More
determination to find freedom for his segregated brothers and sisters. At times I was a little confused about what was happening, but if I studied the graphics as well as the text, it made sense. I am impressed with how the creative writing team made this book both an intimate story of Lewis and an epic story of American History. This would be a great addition to any high school study of civil rights. Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
John Lewis's story continues, this time focusing on the Freedom Riders going to Birmingham and challenging the practice of not letting black and white people sit together, and finishing with the March on Washington and both his and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches.
I didn't know much about the
I didn't know much about the
Show More
Freedom Rides before reading this book, and I would like to read more. I thought he does a nice job of sharing his memories, exploring differing opinions even within the leadership of the Civil Rights movement, and not overwhelming with a lot of detail. The illustrations are extremely powerful and heartbreaking as you see the way racists respond to the nonviolent protests of Lewis and his friends. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dreesie
Continuation of book 1, just as good and just as important.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The second volume picks up the story of John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement with the vivid descriptions of the Freedom Rides. The opposition and violence that was directed at these black and white innovators was mind-numbing and very humbling. What these people faced and overcame, the police
This volume closes on a historic moment. The March on Washington in August of 1963 and the world famous “I Have A Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King. This day brought real progress to the Civil Rights Movement and saw the various groups come together to unite and put aside their differences in order to show America and the world that equality and freedom was an issue that could no longer be ignored or set aside.
Ominously, the book closes with the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama on September 1, 1963. The March is far from over.
Show More
brutality, imprisonments, beatings and degradation brought much attention to their movement and even had the President John Kennedy and his brother, Attorney-General Robert Kennedy sitting up, taking notice and becoming allies. At the same time politics, policies, and control issues was causing some in-fighting and forming of splinter groups among the movement.This volume closes on a historic moment. The March on Washington in August of 1963 and the world famous “I Have A Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King. This day brought real progress to the Civil Rights Movement and saw the various groups come together to unite and put aside their differences in order to show America and the world that equality and freedom was an issue that could no longer be ignored or set aside.
Ominously, the book closes with the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama on September 1, 1963. The March is far from over.
Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
The story of the Civil Rights movement and Lewis' involvement therein continues. This volume covers the Freedom Rider movement and the March on Washington where Dr. King made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
This is another engrossing, important, and harrowing read. I sometimes had a hard time
This is another engrossing, important, and harrowing read. I sometimes had a hard time
Show More
keeping track of all of the different people who played key roles, and found some parts of the story difficult to follow. Part of the problem may be that I am not as good at reading graphic novels as I am plain text, so maybe I was missing some of the subtleties of the illustrations. Still, a very good book, highly recommended (but start with the first volume, of course). Show Less
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
The second volume of the riveting eyewitness graphic chronicle of the Civil Rights Movement by Representative John Lewis and superbly illustrated by Nate Powell.
LibraryThing member MaowangVater
Congressman Lewis continues his memories of the civil rights movement taking up the story with the Freedom Rides of the 1960s and the violent beatings and imprisonments that followed as a reaction by the white establishment to the politics of organizing the August 1963 March on Washington. It end
Show More
somberly with the Birmingham church bombing in September of the same year that that killed three little black girls. The history is gritty and dramatic, all the more so, because it is true. Show Less
LibraryThing member harrietbrown
This was one helluva ride with the Freedom Riders. Unlike Book #1 in the series, which maintains an uplifting tone, this was a harrowing read, which is why it took me so long. The brutality of racism and segregation was hard to stomach, but it's a lesson that bears learning, especially in today's
In Book #1, Rep. John Lewis begins his story with the inauguration of President Barack Obama. That plot line continues in this book, but whereas in Book #1 it was frequently mentioned, in Book #2, it's not mentioned that often. It's used to underscore the contrast between the trying times of Lewis's youth in the civil rights struggle, and the hope present at the inauguration. In this way, the reader has a clearer understanding of how remarkable President Obama's election was, and all the pain, violence and sacrifice that it took to get there.
I'm beginning to develop the opinion that every human who is engaged in the struggle for equality should read this series. We have much to learn from the struggle for civil rights. It's not over. I am glad to see that this is now required reading in NYC high schools. I think that's pretty awesome! Young people especially need to hear the message of non-violence, and how much can be accomplished by a group of people working toward a common goal. This series also shows how difficult it was to maintain unity in the civil rights movement, and how it became fractured, but still maintained its power, and its momentum.
Show More
political climate. In Book #1, Rep. John Lewis begins his story with the inauguration of President Barack Obama. That plot line continues in this book, but whereas in Book #1 it was frequently mentioned, in Book #2, it's not mentioned that often. It's used to underscore the contrast between the trying times of Lewis's youth in the civil rights struggle, and the hope present at the inauguration. In this way, the reader has a clearer understanding of how remarkable President Obama's election was, and all the pain, violence and sacrifice that it took to get there.
I'm beginning to develop the opinion that every human who is engaged in the struggle for equality should read this series. We have much to learn from the struggle for civil rights. It's not over. I am glad to see that this is now required reading in NYC high schools. I think that's pretty awesome! Young people especially need to hear the message of non-violence, and how much can be accomplished by a group of people working toward a common goal. This series also shows how difficult it was to maintain unity in the civil rights movement, and how it became fractured, but still maintained its power, and its momentum.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This continues to be a powerful story. I learned a lot about the Freedom Rides.
LibraryThing member EBT1002
How is it that only 548 LibraryThing members have this book in their libraries? Okay, another 100 have the box set, but this graphic memoir deserves a place on everyone's shelves. Or at least an afternoon spent with a copy from the library. It provides an inside look at the organization of the
With moments from January 20, 2009 serving as highlights for the tremendous upheaval of the early 1960s, this poignant memoir reminds us of how much civil rights activists were willing to sacrifice to ensure equality and freedom. Given where we are today, so different from that cold but glorious day in January 2009, it's also a call to action. What am I willing to sacrifice in order to ensure justice? It's a question worth asking.
Show More
March on Washington and the events leading up to it: the Freedom Riders, SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), and the vitriolic and dehumanizing violence perpetrated by white segregationists in service of their unjust goal to keep African Americans out of the voting booth, out of colleges and universities, out of restaurants and bus stations and certainly out of the White House. It's also a tribute to the power of nonviolent protest and the power of love as a transformative agent. With moments from January 20, 2009 serving as highlights for the tremendous upheaval of the early 1960s, this poignant memoir reminds us of how much civil rights activists were willing to sacrifice to ensure equality and freedom. Given where we are today, so different from that cold but glorious day in January 2009, it's also a call to action. What am I willing to sacrifice in order to ensure justice? It's a question worth asking.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Crazymamie
I think most of you are familiar with this GN memoir of the Civil Rights Movement through John Lewis' eyes. It is stunning. Really, I just cannot say enough about how well these books have been done. This is book two of the three volume set. I was familiar with the events in this, and still I was
On a personal note, I'll just mention how incredibly disturbing it was to see that our current residency (Albany, GA) was mentioned by name in Lewis' speech that he gave during the March on Washington. This is not Birmingham, or Memphis, or Jackson, and yet there we are.
Highly recommended. Really, what are you waiting for?
Show More
staggered by the ugliness and hatred and violence dished out to peaceful protestors who were basically just asking for what should already be theirs. If you have not yet picked up the first book, you should do so, even if you are not normally one to read something in a GN format. It's one thing to read about the movement or to see documentaries or visit a museum, but seeing it unfold through the eyes of someone who was there every step of the way and has the power to do the story justice when he tells it, is a whole other level of education. On a personal note, I'll just mention how incredibly disturbing it was to see that our current residency (Albany, GA) was mentioned by name in Lewis' speech that he gave during the March on Washington. This is not Birmingham, or Memphis, or Jackson, and yet there we are.
Highly recommended. Really, what are you waiting for?
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Illustrations by Nate Powell
This is the second in a trilogy of graphic memoirs detailing the Civil Rights Movement and early career of U.S. Representative John Lewis.
Lewis gives the reader a good chronology of the movement in 1961, focusing on the Freedom Riders and culminating in Dr Martin Luther
I lived through this era. I remember hearing about the Freedom Riders, the marches, the brutally violent responses by police forces against peaceful protestors, etc, but I was nine years old when John F Kennedy was elected; I didn’t live in any of the states where the protests were being held, and like most 4th-graders I wasn’t too focused on national news.
I’m glad to have read this now, however. Lewis’s experiences really bring the message home. I was near tears towards the end.
I applaud Lewis and his collaborators, co-author Andrew Aydin and illustrator Nate Powell, for bringing this era in America’s history to the attention of young readers. Providing this information in this format makes it more accessible to a young audience, and it’s important that they learn about this episode in our nation’s history. However, for me (and my old eyes), the format is somewhat problematic. Dark illustrations are not friendly to my eyes.
This is the second in a trilogy of graphic memoirs detailing the Civil Rights Movement and early career of U.S. Representative John Lewis.
Lewis gives the reader a good chronology of the movement in 1961, focusing on the Freedom Riders and culminating in Dr Martin Luther
Show More
King’s “I have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. Interspersed with this historical storyline, is the inauguration of Barack Obama as the USA’s first black President. I lived through this era. I remember hearing about the Freedom Riders, the marches, the brutally violent responses by police forces against peaceful protestors, etc, but I was nine years old when John F Kennedy was elected; I didn’t live in any of the states where the protests were being held, and like most 4th-graders I wasn’t too focused on national news.
I’m glad to have read this now, however. Lewis’s experiences really bring the message home. I was near tears towards the end.
I applaud Lewis and his collaborators, co-author Andrew Aydin and illustrator Nate Powell, for bringing this era in America’s history to the attention of young readers. Providing this information in this format makes it more accessible to a young audience, and it’s important that they learn about this episode in our nation’s history. However, for me (and my old eyes), the format is somewhat problematic. Dark illustrations are not friendly to my eyes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member thelibraryladies
John Lewis, noted Civil Rights Activist and Georgia Congressman, can now add another fabulous moniker to his name: National Book Award Winner. On November 16th, 2016, he won the National Book Award (in the Young Readers category) for his book “March: Book 3”, the conclusion to his
“March: Book 1” starts with Lewis’s childhood as the son of a sharecropper in rural Alabama and goes through the Lunch Counter Protests in Nashville. From a young age Lewis had a drive and a passion to lead and learn, his early aspirations of being a preacher evolving into the leadership and commitment that he put forth while in the Nashville Student Movement, and then into the broader Civil Rights Movement as a whole. “March: Book 2” talks about his time with the Freedom Riders and the violence they faced during their non violent protests and demonstrations, all leading up to the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. This book deals more with the growing aggression of the white citizens and government, as well as the Federal Government starting to waffle and teeter and struggle with the role that it should be playing. It’s also the book that shows Lewis and his own inner struggles, as while non violence is always the mission and the goal, his resentment and anger threatens to boil over. “March: Book 3” is the conclusion, and addresses Freedom Summer, Voting Rights, and Selma. And this story is told all within the frame of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. Stunning framework, absolutely beautiful. There are multiple parallels between things in “Book 1” that come up again in “Book 3”, and there are themes that link all of them together not just with Lewis, but with other prominent figures as well. Lewis sets out to tell all of their stories as best he can, and the result is one of the best damn graphic novel series I have ever read.
This series is so powerful and personal, and it goes to show just how remarkable John Lewis is. He’s one of the ‘Big Six’, aka one of the most influential members of the Civil Rights Movement, and one of the only ones left, as he reminds us in “Book 1”. These books are very straight forward and simple, but they are so honest and personal that the power they have is immense. I found myself crying many times during my reads of all these books, but also laughing, and cheering, and seething. Lewis brought out so many emotions in me with his story, and his immense talent as a storyteller comes through, just as his charisma does. We get to see the story of the Civil Rights Movement through his eyes, and he tells us the stories of those involved within the movement and those who influenced it from the outside as well. Yes, at times these books are violent, and upsetting, but they need to be, because the horrors that fell upon many people during their non violent protests must never be forgotten. I think that the entirety is an accomplishment, but I understand why they gave the National Book Award to “Book 3”. After all, while it is probably symbolic of awarding the whole darn thing, I think that “Book 3” was the most powerful in terms of emotion being served, be it pride, fear, rage, or determination. It certainly was the one that had me weeping from the get go, as the very first moment was the bombing of the 16th Baptist Church that killed four little girls. The violence is absolutely horrifying, but it cannot be forgotten or glossed over. It absolutely cannot. “March: Book 3” also was the one to really address the differences of ideologies within the movement as a whole, not just between King and X, but Lewis and SNCC as well. And Lewis also has no qualms addressing the fact that LBJ, while he did ultimately get things going on a Federal level, was incredibly reluctant to do much in terms of help until he absolutely HAD to. I think that realities get lost in the historical narratives that come in our educations, and that is absolutely why the “March” Trilogy is fundamental reading when it comes to the Civil Rights Movement in this country.
And, like other graphic novels before it, I want to address the artwork in this series. Because it is beautiful in it’s simplicity, and yet powerful in it’s design. It’s all black and white, and stark and striking on every page. Nate Powell brings the story to life on the page, and he did it both with bits of humor to go along with the hope, horror, and courage. There were bits of realism to accompany the distinct style, but it always felt very tangible and very authentic. As I mentioned before, the illustrations do not gloss over the violence that was prevalent during the time, and while it certainly is disturbing, it’s done in a way that could never be dismissed as exploitative or ‘over the top’. It is incredibly honest and upsetting, but it needs to be. The reader needs to be upset and outraged by it. Because it IS upsetting, and it is outrageous.
I cannot stress enough how important the “March”Trilogy is in these uncertain and scary times. John Lewis is a treasure and an inspiration, and I feel that this is required reading. Get this in schools, get this in curriculums, get this in peoples hands. And you, you should likewise go out and get your hands on this series. You will not regret it. You will learn something. And you will be moved. Thank you, John Lewis. Thank you for so much.
Show More
autobiographical graphic novel series about his time during the Civil Rights Movement. I caught his acceptance speech, and like many other people, cried deeply because I was so happy for him, and it clearly meant so so much on so many levels. By total coincidence, I had just read “March: Book 2” that morning. It had been awhile since I read “Book 1”, and was playing catch up. So then all I had to do was wait for “Book 3” to come in, vowing that once it did I was going to review the entire work as a whole. Because that’s what the “March” Trilogy is: it’s one large story about a remarkable man during a tumultuous time, a story about a movement that changed the nation and a movement that seems all the more relevant today. So I waited. And “Book 3” finally came in for me. So now, let me tell you about this fabulous series.“March: Book 1” starts with Lewis’s childhood as the son of a sharecropper in rural Alabama and goes through the Lunch Counter Protests in Nashville. From a young age Lewis had a drive and a passion to lead and learn, his early aspirations of being a preacher evolving into the leadership and commitment that he put forth while in the Nashville Student Movement, and then into the broader Civil Rights Movement as a whole. “March: Book 2” talks about his time with the Freedom Riders and the violence they faced during their non violent protests and demonstrations, all leading up to the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. This book deals more with the growing aggression of the white citizens and government, as well as the Federal Government starting to waffle and teeter and struggle with the role that it should be playing. It’s also the book that shows Lewis and his own inner struggles, as while non violence is always the mission and the goal, his resentment and anger threatens to boil over. “March: Book 3” is the conclusion, and addresses Freedom Summer, Voting Rights, and Selma. And this story is told all within the frame of the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. Stunning framework, absolutely beautiful. There are multiple parallels between things in “Book 1” that come up again in “Book 3”, and there are themes that link all of them together not just with Lewis, but with other prominent figures as well. Lewis sets out to tell all of their stories as best he can, and the result is one of the best damn graphic novel series I have ever read.
This series is so powerful and personal, and it goes to show just how remarkable John Lewis is. He’s one of the ‘Big Six’, aka one of the most influential members of the Civil Rights Movement, and one of the only ones left, as he reminds us in “Book 1”. These books are very straight forward and simple, but they are so honest and personal that the power they have is immense. I found myself crying many times during my reads of all these books, but also laughing, and cheering, and seething. Lewis brought out so many emotions in me with his story, and his immense talent as a storyteller comes through, just as his charisma does. We get to see the story of the Civil Rights Movement through his eyes, and he tells us the stories of those involved within the movement and those who influenced it from the outside as well. Yes, at times these books are violent, and upsetting, but they need to be, because the horrors that fell upon many people during their non violent protests must never be forgotten. I think that the entirety is an accomplishment, but I understand why they gave the National Book Award to “Book 3”. After all, while it is probably symbolic of awarding the whole darn thing, I think that “Book 3” was the most powerful in terms of emotion being served, be it pride, fear, rage, or determination. It certainly was the one that had me weeping from the get go, as the very first moment was the bombing of the 16th Baptist Church that killed four little girls. The violence is absolutely horrifying, but it cannot be forgotten or glossed over. It absolutely cannot. “March: Book 3” also was the one to really address the differences of ideologies within the movement as a whole, not just between King and X, but Lewis and SNCC as well. And Lewis also has no qualms addressing the fact that LBJ, while he did ultimately get things going on a Federal level, was incredibly reluctant to do much in terms of help until he absolutely HAD to. I think that realities get lost in the historical narratives that come in our educations, and that is absolutely why the “March” Trilogy is fundamental reading when it comes to the Civil Rights Movement in this country.
And, like other graphic novels before it, I want to address the artwork in this series. Because it is beautiful in it’s simplicity, and yet powerful in it’s design. It’s all black and white, and stark and striking on every page. Nate Powell brings the story to life on the page, and he did it both with bits of humor to go along with the hope, horror, and courage. There were bits of realism to accompany the distinct style, but it always felt very tangible and very authentic. As I mentioned before, the illustrations do not gloss over the violence that was prevalent during the time, and while it certainly is disturbing, it’s done in a way that could never be dismissed as exploitative or ‘over the top’. It is incredibly honest and upsetting, but it needs to be. The reader needs to be upset and outraged by it. Because it IS upsetting, and it is outrageous.
I cannot stress enough how important the “March”Trilogy is in these uncertain and scary times. John Lewis is a treasure and an inspiration, and I feel that this is required reading. Get this in schools, get this in curriculums, get this in peoples hands. And you, you should likewise go out and get your hands on this series. You will not regret it. You will learn something. And you will be moved. Thank you, John Lewis. Thank you for so much.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
In March: Book Two John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell tell the story of John Lewis' activism in the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, focusing on the Freedom Rides that followed desegregation efforts at the lunch counters. This volume culminates with the 1963 March on Washington
Show More
and the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church that killed four little girls. While the first volume never shied away from violence, Lewis describes how it only intensified following the moderate successes of the Civil Rights movement. Beatings intensified and ignorant whites threatened children because their intolerance was so deep-seated that it could not allow any change. Reading this, one wishes Lewis had kept the line in his speech calling upon Civil Rights activists "through the heart of Dixie, the way Sherman did." Even with the gains of the Civil Rights movement, the South continues to be an embarrassment. Like the first volume, Lewis continues to use the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009 as a framing device in order to juxtapose the brutality with a sense of hope, that SNCC members' suffering was worth it. Also like the first volume, Powell's art conveys the emotions Lewis experienced in his youth and the horrors he witnessed far better than simple prose could. Show Less
LibraryThing member ASKelmore
Best for: Anyone who doesn’t know about John Lewis. Also, anyone who does. Also, judging from the latest Pajiba post, Rob Schneider. Ooof.
In a nutshell: This is the second of three graphic novels about the life of John Lewis. It covers the early 60s, focusing on the Freedom Rides and the March on
Line that sticks with me: “We found out later that [Birmingham Police Chief ‘Bull’ Connor] had promised the Ku Klux Klan fifteen minutes with the bus before he’d make any arrests.”
Why I chose it: I really enjoyed book one and wanted to read the next part of the story.
Review: After I finished this book, I took a minute to wander over to Facebook and was greeted by a whole lot of crap being posted on the Pajiba article about Rob Schneider’s ignorant statement about Congressman Lewis and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It clearly was shared in some cesspool connected to the white supremacist movement, and it brought out some of the worst our country has to offer.
After finishing this book, I have no doubt that some of these same commenters would have thrown rocks and bottles at the Freedom Riders if they had been nearby. The same ones who claim that MLK ‘won’ civil rights, and that ‘reverse’ racism is the real problem, talk as though they would have supported the fight for integration and equal rights. But I see in them the people Congressman Lewis is talking about, who beat peaceful protestors sitting at lunch counters or who scoffed at those marching on Washington D.C. I see in them the same people who were angry that Black people were trying to buy tickets to see a movie in the whites-only theater, as opposed to the people who should have been angry that a whites-only theater even existed. I think I used to buy into the idea that racism would fade away as the old racist whites died off, but the last few months have shown me – a bit late, I know – that the old racist whites are being replaced by young racist whites who are just champing at the bit to spit in the faces of people seeking the equal rights that this country is still denying to so many.
This book was harder to read than Book One, but I also think it was a bit better. In discussing the freedom rides and other actions, it really gets into the discussions and disagreement that can arise when movements have the same goal but different methods. I think it is naïve to believe that everyone who is ostensibly fighting for the same causes and outcomes will agree on how to do that, and it’s inappropriate to judge the efficacy of a movement just because not everyone agrees on how to act.
In a nutshell: This is the second of three graphic novels about the life of John Lewis. It covers the early 60s, focusing on the Freedom Rides and the March on
Show More
Washington.Line that sticks with me: “We found out later that [Birmingham Police Chief ‘Bull’ Connor] had promised the Ku Klux Klan fifteen minutes with the bus before he’d make any arrests.”
Why I chose it: I really enjoyed book one and wanted to read the next part of the story.
Review: After I finished this book, I took a minute to wander over to Facebook and was greeted by a whole lot of crap being posted on the Pajiba article about Rob Schneider’s ignorant statement about Congressman Lewis and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It clearly was shared in some cesspool connected to the white supremacist movement, and it brought out some of the worst our country has to offer.
After finishing this book, I have no doubt that some of these same commenters would have thrown rocks and bottles at the Freedom Riders if they had been nearby. The same ones who claim that MLK ‘won’ civil rights, and that ‘reverse’ racism is the real problem, talk as though they would have supported the fight for integration and equal rights. But I see in them the people Congressman Lewis is talking about, who beat peaceful protestors sitting at lunch counters or who scoffed at those marching on Washington D.C. I see in them the same people who were angry that Black people were trying to buy tickets to see a movie in the whites-only theater, as opposed to the people who should have been angry that a whites-only theater even existed. I think I used to buy into the idea that racism would fade away as the old racist whites died off, but the last few months have shown me – a bit late, I know – that the old racist whites are being replaced by young racist whites who are just champing at the bit to spit in the faces of people seeking the equal rights that this country is still denying to so many.
This book was harder to read than Book One, but I also think it was a bit better. In discussing the freedom rides and other actions, it really gets into the discussions and disagreement that can arise when movements have the same goal but different methods. I think it is naïve to believe that everyone who is ostensibly fighting for the same causes and outcomes will agree on how to do that, and it’s inappropriate to judge the efficacy of a movement just because not everyone agrees on how to act.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Starla_Aurora
Amazing, Made me angry and cry right along with them.
LibraryThing member chavala
So. Very. Good. The whole trilogy is highly recommended.
This graphic novel series recounts civil rights leader and US Representative John Lewis' childhood and involvement in the civil rights movement, from restaurant sit-ins in Nashville all the way to Selma and the passage of the 1965 Voting
The courage these people had, it takes my breath away. To know you could be jailed, beaten, or killed. To have your compatriots murdered worked with your cause and for your organization. To face government and police and county registrars actively, loudly, and proudly - and unlawfully - refusing to allow you to register to vote, to peacefully assemble; who would stop at nothing to prevent having to share power. In the face of that, to stand up again and again to march and protest, all for the right to vote. These folks are American heroes.
Using the graphic format - stark black and white - was powerful. The artist did an amazing job. An example: the bleak night-of-the-soul moments, where text was white against a mostly black page, the words dripping away into silence. Or the showing the movement of an arm holding a billy club arcing across the page - linear format fallen by the wayside - as it descended towards someone's head.
I was especially moved by stories around the passage of the Voting Rights Act in volume 3 and the quotes from President Johnson's speeches of the time. (This was also my reaction to the movie Selma; also highly recommended). The right to vote, the ability to vote, is the true cornerstone of democracy. African-Americans had that legal right in the US for 100 years at the time of the Civil Rights movement, but most did not have the ability, and systemic forces were bent on keeping that racist status quo for 100 years.
So far we've come and also so far back we've slid. The fierce fight for the right to vote - that people gave their lives for - that right has been chipped away at in so many states (and so many from the South!) that want to suppress some categories of voters, and by the Supreme Court as well. Those 100 years of Jim Crow and voter suppression live on in new waves of voter intimidation and disenfranchisement. And, just like elections when people of color were prevented from registering to vote, elections today are putting people who historically had a lot of power into elected office and silencing the voice of true democracy.
This trilogy is a great way to learn about - or teach - this important part of American history, and the lessons it has for us today.
This graphic novel series recounts civil rights leader and US Representative John Lewis' childhood and involvement in the civil rights movement, from restaurant sit-ins in Nashville all the way to Selma and the passage of the 1965 Voting
Show More
Rights Act. This moving personal and societal history is framed as memories coming to him on the day of President Obama's inauguration in January 2009.The courage these people had, it takes my breath away. To know you could be jailed, beaten, or killed. To have your compatriots murdered worked with your cause and for your organization. To face government and police and county registrars actively, loudly, and proudly - and unlawfully - refusing to allow you to register to vote, to peacefully assemble; who would stop at nothing to prevent having to share power. In the face of that, to stand up again and again to march and protest, all for the right to vote. These folks are American heroes.
Using the graphic format - stark black and white - was powerful. The artist did an amazing job. An example: the bleak night-of-the-soul moments, where text was white against a mostly black page, the words dripping away into silence. Or the showing the movement of an arm holding a billy club arcing across the page - linear format fallen by the wayside - as it descended towards someone's head.
I was especially moved by stories around the passage of the Voting Rights Act in volume 3 and the quotes from President Johnson's speeches of the time. (This was also my reaction to the movie Selma; also highly recommended). The right to vote, the ability to vote, is the true cornerstone of democracy. African-Americans had that legal right in the US for 100 years at the time of the Civil Rights movement, but most did not have the ability, and systemic forces were bent on keeping that racist status quo for 100 years.
So far we've come and also so far back we've slid. The fierce fight for the right to vote - that people gave their lives for - that right has been chipped away at in so many states (and so many from the South!) that want to suppress some categories of voters, and by the Supreme Court as well. Those 100 years of Jim Crow and voter suppression live on in new waves of voter intimidation and disenfranchisement. And, just like elections when people of color were prevented from registering to vote, elections today are putting people who historically had a lot of power into elected office and silencing the voice of true democracy.
This trilogy is a great way to learn about - or teach - this important part of American history, and the lessons it has for us today.
Show Less
Awards
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (Nonfiction — 2015)
Street Literature Book Award (Graphic Novel — 2016)
VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Award (Winner — Youth — 2015)
Dragon Award (Finalist — Graphic Novel — 2016)
NPR: Books We Love (2015)
CCBC Choices (2016)
Nerdy Book Award (Graphic Novels — 2015)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Teen — 2015)
Penn GSE's Best Books for Young Readers (Selection — Comics & Graphic Novels — 2015)
Great Graphic Novels for Teens (Nonfiction — 2016)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Teens (Nonfiction — 2015)
OYAN Graphic Rave (2015)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-01-20
Physical description
9.7 inches
ISBN
1603094008 / 9781603094009
Other editions
March: Book One: 1 by John Lewis (Paperback)