March: Book Two

A graphic novel has the creative freedom to do some time travel along the narrative arc of our story. At a time when Euro-Americans feel discomfort while watching mob violence by people given sanction to throw gasoline and plant bombs, this history forces us to see exactly how dangerous it was to become a Freedom Rider--and how necessary that choice was. White supremacists still murder African-American ministers and Bible students. As a result of many generations of pushing social evolution, we might be ready for a less violent future. March: Book Two reminds us that we still have work to do.

Great read, Great art, Great story with insights from someone who has lived through those dark times in our nation. I read this with great admiration for Black Americans during the Civil Rights movement. They were treated like animals and their lives meant nothing to the White Americans, often beaten, unjustly jailed, or even killed simply for being black. The bravery and sacrifice of so many of these people should remind us all of the daily struggles and injustices they were subjected too for so many years. Dr. King, Mr. Lewis and others fault the fight through peaceful marches, using the power of words, the belief in a better America, a just America, and an inclusive America - they won their fight. However, today in America we still struggle with remnants of past ghosts of injustices in the inner city, police brutality, and racial profiling. The response is too often with riots, looting, and burning the community down which further perpetuates the stereo type of Black Americans as ghetto thugs and that is unfortunate. What is needed are strong young articulate leaders able to bring people together, to be change agents for their communities, cities, state, and country. Leaders that truly see the problem and have meaningful solutions that will light the spark of restoring so many broken inner city communities. Let Dr. King, Congressman Lewis and others serve as the positive role models for how to address the root of problems and how to go about to help solve them. I love this book and wholeheartedly thank those who sacrificed much. Today so many of us owe a great debt to their legacy. We take for granted what they fault for since it was before our time but we should not forget and we should continue to move forward and help make America even Greater.

An amazing book that tells the dramatic story of John Lewis, SNCC, and the civil rights movement. The artwork and storytelling are expertly done. It carries you back to the time of brutal confrontations, great dreams, and determination.
This is not an academic book or a homework assignment. This is a very moving story that feels fresh and alive. It is even more engaging than the first volume, which was also very good.
I can't wait to read the next installment.

What a great story! Everyone in America should read this and then read it again. Not enough is understood of the great sacrifices, heroism and patriotism of these extraordinary individuals. John Lewis is a true American Hero.

This book was a great insite to the struggles and satisfices that was made for the right to vote.. This book will be very helpful for young people today in recognizing why the people of 1965 made the decision to pursue a course of action with the knowledge of known that the consquences of their action could cost them their life. This book demonstrates the pain and loss of the generations before us endured so that we may have the right to vote.

For anyone interested in the Civil Rights Movement, I strongly encourage you to buy this book. I thought I was just going to see in graphic information I read before in his excellent autobiography, "Walking With the Wind," well I was WRONG. There are many wonderful details that I never knew about previously. I especially liked the part about the pressure he received to revise the speech he gave at the historic March on Washington (and that the the draft copy was included in the back). I personally think the writing is stronger than the graphics but I did enjoy on many occasions how the writing was incorporated into the graphics. I personally would have liked the graphics be more detailed and in color. Overall, it is a GREAT READ! I hope we don't have to wait as long for Book Three as we did for Book Two. I want to read about his experiences in Selma!!

History today. John Lewis and team did a fabulous job of illustrating the civil rights peace marches. The character and determination so relevant today. Every school should have these books March 1 and. 2. And will wait to read March 3. Thank you John for your leadership and courage.

John Lewis continues his telling of the civil rights movement. His is a valuable insight since it tells the story from an insider's viewpoint. I can't wait until the final book of the trilogy is published.

Picking up after the events of March: Book One, this volume focuses on the Freedom Riders, the dangers they faced as they challenged Southern cities to follow the Supreme Court's ruling, the changes they saw, and then this volume closes with the March in Washington D.C.

John Lewis provides a unique insider's perspective into these events you won't find in any textbook, or for that matter, many other books on this subject. I learned a lot through this read. The perseverance of John and others through persecution is inspiring, and I also admire his resolve not to bend to the pressure to retaliate and match violence with violence. I found it quite eye-opening to learn that Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually not one of the main organizing leaders for the March in Washington D.C., it seems his stunning speech that day has overshadowed the truth of his roll in organizing the event and many who should be hailed for their efforts have gone largely forgotten until now, thanks to John's insider report. Definitely an important book for history.

Notes on content: Racial slurs abound as injustices of the time are reported accurately. About a dozen mild swear words and just a few moderate ones. No sex scenes. There are two frames with some naked butt shots of men in jail (frighteningly reminiscent of a concentration camp scene). There are several beatings, shootings, and fire bombings recorded in this book and depicted in pictures. All the drawings are in black and white, which helps keep the potential blood and gore down, but they are still some serious violent scenes.

Rather superficial coverage of the author's personal experiences during the pre Civil Rights movement. I bought this, because a review of it on the Diane Rehm Show made it sound like a work steeped in emotion and inner reflection. Frankly, for the cost of the book, I could've watched a month of FOX News and been moved more by all the lies and distortions coming out of Hannity's mouth.

The March

My review is going to cover all three books in the series. I read these from April 23 to May 2, 2017.

My experience in the series was a wonderful one, and I would certainly read them again with my children at some point. I would also love to incorporate them into my classroom – I have no doubt that there are many recognizable mirrors between what was happening during the Civil Rights era, especially in Book III, that make this a perfect time for the creation of this important book. The government’s elected officials are still trying to pass laws to stifle protest, they have no problem holding the constitution and civil rights in contempt over racial issues, clearly use gerrymandering (rather than registration suppression and segregation) to influence the results they want in elections, and still, still, still the ongoing fight for equality that is solely political, economic, and involve many of the same (if not worse and more violent) law enforcement tactics.

My only criticism of the books is a relatively simple one. The only thing I felt was wrong with the narrative was the lack of depth of the protagonist's characterization. I only wish there was some flaw or something to feel empathetic for... In life, there are many qualities in real people that make them imperfect, and in many ways, it is the lack of imperfection in the characters that made me feel they were a little flat. The closest the books get happen so rarely that I can list them briefly – I found one allusion to sex (no big deal; people have sex), I found one reference to the young people in the organizations having sex (again, people have sex. Everyone has sex), and one reference to Lewis *almost* hitting an officer to defend MLK. Now, that one is a moral dilemma, and also a dilemma for the cause,... but he didn't act. I wish I could have seen some flaw in character, judgment, or something, but by the end, they are so squeaky clean (and this is in contrast to the awful, brutal, disgusting, unremorseful anti-democracy people literally getting away with murder the whole book) that it feels almost artificial. Where are their mistakes? I was hoping maybe the authors could make me believe they are not only overcoming major external conflicts, but also overcoming their internal ones as well.

Besides this, March was an excellent series. When I got the free comic book excerpt on free comic book day, I was hooked. I am glad I picked up the whole series – I flew through its wonderful pacing, beautiful art, and the truly American story of equality, protest, and rebirth.

What follows are my thoughts about each volume - I wrote them as I finished each one.

-BOOK I-
Book I covers the origins of John Lewis' early life. He was always a hard worker. In his youth he tended to the chickens on the family farm and dreamed of one day becoming a preacher. His early struggles were exploring the ethics of eating meat, his (and his chickens) relationship with his religion, and his access to education. As a tenacious child, he understood how important education was to his future, and he grabbed every opportunity even when it was against his father's wishes. The story then goes on to explain how he came to be associated with a young Martin Luther King Jr. and one of the core members of the touchstones of the Civil Rights Movement, The Nashville Student Movement and eventually the SNCC. After various sit-ins and a mass arrest, they cause great change.

The art is gorgeous. The layout, execution and various places where the rules are broken are pretty awesome, and as a package, it is a truly great story so far. I am looking forward to reading book II and III. The only thing that didn't quite work for me was the frame story. Granted, I know why it was there structurally (both in the near term for this story, and what I anticipate is obvious for the long-game of the other two books) and figuratively, but the story was pretty strong on its own without it.

-BOOK II-
The march continues explosively as the Freedom Riders bravely power through their nonviolent movement and crash into the violent one-sided race war. This book also explores the splintering of the SNCC into a variety of groups with different goals, the terror of the reality of jail for our fearless leaders of freedom, the marches (including one where a thousand school-age children were imprisoned in a single afternoon), the absolute mindless power exercised by Bull Connor and Strom Thurmond, the murders of the members of the movement, and the incorporation of A. Phillip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr, Roy Wilkins, Jim Farmer, Whitney Young, and of course John Lewis into what became known as the Big Six.

The stunning, explosive art continues with Birmingham and the sixteenth street Baptist Church at its center. Two pivotal moments seem to drive the narrative this time as Barack Obama's inauguration mirrors August 28, 1963. A beautiful text. Looking forward to Book III.

-BOOK III-
The culmination of everything everyone was fighting for, the final volume explores the end of desegregation, including most notably the various political movements happening behind the scenes in response to what was happening in the streets. This book was the longest of the three, and by far the starkest with each page swinging wildly from black to white and dark to light as the ink ran down the page in inky violence. This text and lack of text juxtaposes the narrative even more. Some pages are solitary and quiet, while others run feverishly with words as congress, the president, the television, the radio, and members of the various organizations' debate, shout, report, and hammer away at one another with words, words, and words. This is certainly the most moving of the three volumes, an apex of horror, loneliness, blood, and sacrifice taking center stage to the lead up to Bloody Sunday.

Of course, voting becomes a right for everyone, and a great deal of blood of our great civil rights leaders – of our fellow Americans – was spilled in sacrifice for true equality. By the end of the story when the second peaceful Selma march is conducted and later when John Lewis has two beautiful moments with Barack Obama during his inauguration, I choked back tears at the beauty of what I experienced at the end. I wasn’t a fan of the frame story at the beginning, but by the end, it hit me hard.

I have learned more about the Civil Rights movement from this graphic novel series than I recall learning from my high school history classes. Now, to be fair to my hs teachers, they probably taught a ton about the Civil Rights, but history class was never a favorite of mine.

March Book Two gets 4.5 out of 5 Stars in my review. It's a great book, a fast read, perfect for history lovers and reluctant readers. I loved the information, perspective, and the feel of the book. March Book Two definitely had a darker tone with more angst than March Book One, but the Civil Rights was heating up more, and there was more conflict throughout the book.

I found myself saying, "Wow!" several times throughout this book. I was shocked by the history and how people treated black people. I was amazed by the bravery and the sacrifice of those who stayed non-violent throughout the movement. I have new appreciation for how relentless the Freedom Riders were.

I loved this quote on page 108, "The fare was paid in blood, but the Freedom Rides stirred the national consciousness and awoke the hearts and minds of a generation." This book, and the history shared was inspiring, and it makes me want to be willing to make the change.

I have a few details that I felt could've been improved upon. The illustrations were great, but I was confused the first little bit with the speech bubbles that were written so small and not clear. I eventually learned that those bubbles were for you to know that the person was talking, but you don't need to know what they were saying. That is the first time I remember seeing that occur in a graphic novel. Since that concept is not done often I was confused and frustrated trying to read those bubbles. Personally, I don't think those speech bubbles added anything to the story. I would've removed them if I were the editor.

The only other aspect of the book that I felt was less than stellar is the amount that was covered. This book felt far more intimate and less character development compared to the first book. This second book seemed to include a lot of history and information and less characterization.

High school History and English teachers should seriously consider including this series in their classroom studies. Boys and girls alike as well as readers and those that don't like to read will enjoy and learn from this book series. Book two has more violence than the first book, but it is all in context with the history.

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Book Two in this excellent chronicle of the American civil rights struggle covers the era from the freedom rides up through the March on Washington. Being John Lewis' personal account, it carries an impact that more broadly-based histories do not. John Lewis was there, and (the graphic novel format helps with this) we feel as if we are there with him. Though of course we readers are mere dilettantes, while Lewis' very life was on the line, we can feel his fear, his anger, and his passion.

And because this is Lewis' story, we see things like the March on Washington from something different from the popular perspective. Whereas the event most people remember about the March was the speech by Martin Luther King, Lewis gave a speech that day too--one that was much more fiery--and that's the speech we get to hear in "March."

And let me say this about the entire "March" opus:

I am at an age when I'm not building my library anymore. Though I read a lot, I have adopted of giving away every book when I'm finished with it. Book One of "March" I got from the library. Reading it, I knew immediately, "This book is a keeper!" I ordered all the volumes for my own, and they shall remain on my shelves no matter what other books I give away.

The true account saga continues in it's glory, it's horror and it's heart. Like MARCH: BOOK ONE , MARCH: BOOK TWO pulls the reader into the story taking the reader on the journey that Lewis and the marchers took over sixty years ago in their peaceful fight for equality and rights the constitution already gave but were withheld for people of color.

Though the marchers were peaceful, this book shows you the truth behind who was not peaceful and who was downright hateful.

This book will tug at your heart, make you tear up and make you take notice of what needs to happen now in our current volatile political environment. We need to learn from our history and here it is, ready to read.

Written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell and published by Top Shelf Productions.

#mustread #history #diversity #marching #equality #YA

As with Book One, Book Two shifts between Lewis’ presence at Obama’s inauguration and his experiences decades earlier in the Civil Rights movement. It’s a vitally meaningful, significant time period told by someone on the front lines (literally), and its events obviously ripple through today’s world. Thus, this should be on everyone’s reading list.

The opening image, two hands meeting in the center of the page to shake is a starkly hopeful one, and the amount of white space that surrounds it, the clarity of the image, lets us linger on that sense of optimism it delivers. Though of course, it took a lot of pain and dedication to get there—the focus of most of this graphic story. The opening scene in the earlier years takes place in Nashville on November 10, 1960. As is the case throughout, the artwork does an excellent job of conveying tone and atmosphere. Here, the opening image is of a young African-American leaning against a brick wall just outside a fast food place, while an expository bubble tells us Lewis’ organization is turning their attention from their success at opening the lunch counters to fast food spots and cafeterias. The casual stance of the young man against the wall, the way of the restaurant is brightly lit while the backgrounds is mostly white, seems to indicate a sense of light and openness, an optimistic tone. But the light is hedged in at the edges by far darker tones, and when she shift indoors we watch as three young protestors are horribly mistreated by the waitress, though even that pales in comparison to what happens when Lewis and a few others spell the protestors at the counter. Then, the owner leaves them alone with a fumigator “used only for killing pests,” and as Lewis and the others struggle to breathe, as he wonders if “that man could’ve really left us there to die,” the panels grow more and dark, becoming almost utterly black.

Later, the protests shift to stand-ins at the local movie theaters, which prompts a violent reaction first from white teens and then from the police, a violence that is again starkly, realistically portrayed both in sound and imagery as a policeman uses his baton in brutal fashion against several of the protestors. But when the young Lewis is asked what they should do, his response his always the same: “We’re gonna march.” The protests continue, and the sample I had ends with Lewis and others being taken away in a police wagon, segregation continuing its absurd influence, as the cops tell them protestors, “You know the drill, whites to the left, coloreds over here.”

As mentioned, I think this book and its predecessor should be required reading for just about anyone, including kids. Though there I’d say parents should read it with them to help them process the language and images, since none of that is sugar coated. The history is what it is though, and we should all know its reality. Highly recommended.

These events happened in my lifetime. The book, in graphic format, reminds us of the shocking and shameful events of the worst forms of government and social tyranny. There are events, sequences and positions which I had not known or remembered. Some of what happened seems to have been re-scripted to soften recollections and that too is shameful, signaling there is enormous work yet to be done a half century later. This is an important book which I hope reaches many so progress may continue and exponentially grow.

"Where is our party?! Where is the political party that will make it unnecessary to march on Washington?! ... I appeal to all of you to get in this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village, and every hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete. We must get in this revolution and complete the revolution."

This needs to be on every teacher's shelf, every school's library, every American required reading. This volume includes the march on Washington, as well as many horrible events that preceded the march. It's incredible and moving and still incredibly applicable.

This series is a must read. The illustrations speak more than words ever could. I felt so much throughout this series and was inspired. This second book really dove into some intense events that happened during the Civil Rights Movement that should not be forgotten.

The characters, voices, struggles and perspectives of the players--big and small--in the March on Washington come to life in this book. The story is accessible and emotion palpable. I'm glad that we have this as an educational tool in our arsenal.