about the book
In this second book in the March trilogy, readers once again join U.S. Congressman John Lewis at Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20, 2009. This time John recalls his memories of the Civil Rights Movement in Nashville, starting on November 19, 1960.
Although the Nashville Student Movement had successfully used non-violent sit-ins to desegregate the downtown lunch counters, much more needed to be done—and John was in the thick of it. Since his arrest at a sit-in at Woolworths, his parents had expressed their fears and embarrassment; reluctant to go home, John had became even more committed to changing the world through nonviolence.
But the following days, weeks, and months were anything but nonviolent. Bloody and brutal riots occurred in Montgomery, Alabama. John and his fellow Freedom Riders faced beatings, fire bombs, police brutality, imprisonment, and even murder as they rode the buses through the deep Jim Crowe South. Still undeterred, the activists turned to Birmingham where, once again, they faced unbelievable cruelty. As some called for retaliatory violence, the movement was almost torn apart. John gives these historical events a human face…of the men and women who courageously continued on and those that were just as determined to stop them.
The movement drew in such respected men as Dr. King and Robert Kennedy. As it spreads, John remembers how he rose within the ranks in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and from 1962 to 1966 took on the job of Chairman. This visual autobiography illustrates how he was thrust into the limelight, becoming one of the “Big Six” leaders in the civil rights movement and the architect and keynote speaker of the March on Washington.
This book ends with Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Barack Obama’s inaugural words. It is full of little known details and gives insights into John Lewis, the last surviving speaker from the March on Washington, a recipient of the Medal of Freedom, and a worldwide symbol for nonviolent protest.
about the author
Born February, 21, 1940, John Lewis was the third son of Pike County Alabama sharecroppers. He had six brothers and three sisters, and by the time he was six, he had seen only two white people. Still he knew all about bigotry. One of his earliest memories was going to the public library to get a library card only to be told the facility was for whites only.
Determined to be a preacher, he attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University. There he joined the civil rights movement. Participating in sit-ins and boycotts, he was one of many responsible for changing how blacks were treated in Nashville. He was also one of the original organizers and participants of the Freedom Rides. During a ride to Buffalo, New York, John saw water fountains used by all races and realized equality was a real possibility.
John endured more than forty arrests, many brutal beatings and serious injuries, and risked his life numerous times. His tenacious philosophy of non-violence helped him emerge as a leader. At the age of 23 in 1963, John was the architect of the historic March on Washington, where Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream Speech.”
Working his way up through politics from a seat on an Atlanta city council, John, who is one of the most liberal in Congress, has been reelected to the House of Representatives since 1987. He still doesn’t think his job—to bring about civil rights for all—is done.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Bio.
Author interview : Comic Book Resources
Author biography: Wikipedia
Author biography: NPR
Also by John Lewis:
March : Book 1 with Andrew Aydin. Top Shelf Productions. 2013.
about the co-writer
It was near the end of the work day, and a bunch of congressional staffers were sitting around discussing what they were going to do during the evening. Andrew Aydin piped up and said he was going to a comics convention. Taking heat for his choice of activities, he was surprised when Congressman John Lewis related a story about how he found a comic about Rosa Parks when he was just beginning his college studies. That comic changed his life and got him involved in the non-violent desegregation movement.
Andrew told the Congressman that he should write a comic about his event-filled life. At first the Congressman thought Andrew was crazy, but the more he thought about it, the more he came to see that it was a good way to tell about non-violent protest. Andrew was thrilled when Congressman Lewis asked for his help in writing a trilogy of graphic novels.
Andrew currently serves as an aide to Congressman Lewis, working with telecom, technology, and new media policies. Andrew also served as the communications director and press secretary during some of Lewis’s re-election campaigns. Andrew is a graduate of The Lovett School, Trinity College, and Georgetown University.
Andrew worked closely with famed cartoonist, Nate Powell, who did the illustrations for the graphic novel, March.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Comic Book Resources
Also by Andrew Aydin:
March : Book 1 with John Lewis. Top Shelf Productions. 2013.
about the illustrator
Nate Powell was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1978. He began self-publishing comics at the age of fourteen and went on to graduate from the School of Visual Arts in 2000. A New York Times best selling graphic novelist, he has won an Eisner Award, three Ignatz Awards, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, three Harvey Awards, and a Glyph Comics Award.
His most notable works include Congressman John Lewis’s March trilogy, Rick Riordan’s The Lost Hero, You Don’t Say, Any Empire, Swallow Me Whole, The Silence Of Our Friends, and The Year Of The Beasts. His books can be found in classrooms in more than forty states and his animated documentary Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot will reach one million students in 50,000 schools nationwide.
From 1999 to 2009, Nate worked full-time helping adults with developmental disabilities while continuing his cartooning career. He also managed the underground record label Harlan Records for sixteen years and performed with the punk bands Universe, Wait, and Soophie Nun Squad.
Nate currently lives with his wife in Bloomington, Indiana, where he is busy writing and illustrating his next book Cover slated for release in 2018.
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator interview: Paste Magazine
Also by Nate Powell:
You Don’t Say. Top Shelf Productions. 2015.
March : Book 1 with John Lewis. Top Shelf Productions. 2013.
The Silence of Our Friends with Mark Long & Jim Demonakos. First Second. 2012.
The Year of the Beast with Cecil Castellucci. Roaring Brook Press. 2012.
Any Empire. Top Shelf Productions. 2011.
Swallow Me Whole. Top Shelf Productions. 2008.
Tiny Giants. Soft Skull Press. 2003.
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