I’ve heard a lot about March, and I figured it was time to read all three books!  All three books are written by John Lewis and and Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell, and I borrowed all three from the library.

March: Book One

What It’s About: Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.

Now, to share his remarkable story with new generations, Lewis presents March, a graphic novel trilogy, in collaboration with co-writer Andrew Aydin and New York Times best-selling artist Nate Powell (winner of the Eisner Award and LA Times Book Prize finalist for Swallow Me Whole).

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Book One spans John Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.

Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1950s comic book “Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story.” Now, his own comics bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.

What I Thought:

• I really liked it!  I kind of wanted to start reading the 2nd book right away, but I also knew I wanted this one to sink in a little bit.
• I liked seeing how he got involved in the civil rights movement.  Meeting Martin Luther King, Jr really changed his life
• I really loved that the inauguration of President Obama was tied-in to his story.  It’s such a great parallel to how hard John Lewis fought for equal rights
• I am still amazed that this was something that happened 50+ years ago…and how hard people are still fighting for equal rights and protections.
• I thought a graphic novel was a really cool way to tell the story- it certainly would have been easier for Lewis to go the more traditional route as far as memoirs go, but a graphic novel worked really, really well
  • I think it’s because you can see everything that’s happening
• There’s not a lot to this volume, but it does set up everything pretty well for the next two volumes

My Rating: 4 stars.  I really liked it, and I wish this volume were longer.

March: Volume Two

What It’s About: The #1 New York Times bestselling series continues! Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, continues his award-winning graphic novel trilogy with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell, inspired by a 1950s comic book that helped prepare his own generation to join the struggle. Now, March brings the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today’s world.

After the success of the Nashville sit-in campaign, John Lewis is more committed than ever to changing the world through nonviolence – 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 young activists of the movement struggle with internal conflicts as well. 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.

What I Thought:

• I’m glad we get to see more of his story and his involvement in the civil rights movement
• I really felt for Lewis and all of the Freedom Riders.  I don’t understand how people can be so hateful just because they wanted the same rights as everyone else
• That they would arrest children…children!  I honestly didn’t know that, and I have such a hard time wrapping my head around that
• I still can’t believe it was 50+ years ago that this happened, and yet…it’s still important to remember the people who fought for equal rights
• I liked seeing why the non-violent approach was so important to him, and how he stayed true to that, even when it would have been easier for him to take a more aggressive approach
• I also really like seeing some of the behind-the-scenes stuff in terms of organizing everything.  I never really thought about it before, but someone had to organize all of the protests and marches and get people working together
• Even though I’m not the biggest fan of the illustrations, it worked really well for the story
• I really liked the tie-in to Obama’s inaugaration.  I’m glad we get to see that alongside everything John Lewis worked for
• This one is much more powerful than the first book.  I think it’s because the first book felt like it was setting up the rest of the story, and we were able to get much more into the rest of the story in this book.

My Rating: 4 stars.  I really liked it, and while some of it might not make sense if you don’t read the first one, I think you can pick up on everything that’s going on if you’re pretty familiar with the Civil Right Movement.

March: Book Three

What It’s About: Welcome to the stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-selling MARCH trilogy. Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, joins co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to bring the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today’s world.

What I Thought:

• I think Book Three is my favorite of the three.  I had to wipe away tears a few times when I was reading it
• Book Three focuses on the Selma to Montgomery march, and I was surprised that he was one of the people who led the march.  I don’t think we learned that in history class, but if we did, then I obviously don’t remember it, and that makes me feel sad because he, and many others, fought so hard for equal voting rights and equal rights
• This book was much more heart-breaking than the previous two books put together- and they heart-breaking, don’t get me wrong- but I felt much more emotional reading this book than I did the previous ones
• I loved seeing how what he wanted for SNCC and how that was different than some of the organizations he worked with.  And how what he wanted for SNCC was different than what some of the others in SNCC wanted
• Telling this story as a graphic novel really was the best way to tell this story, because of the illustrations- the peaceful and non-violent protesters and what they had to endure, up against people who would do everything in their power to make them stop
• Honestly, this book is so deserving of all of the awards it has won.  The whole trilogy should be required reading for EVERYONE, but in particular, this volume is worth reading
• I finished this book feeling like I needed to do something…what, I’m not sure, but…I feel like just reading about it isn’t enough
• I am in awe that they took a non-violent approach, when it would have been easier to do the complete opposite- and that they never gave up, even when it would be easier to give up, and not try to change things for the better
• Page 190.  Just thinking about it makes me want to cry

My Rating: 5 stars.  For me, this book is the best one out of the three.  It’s a must-read for everyone, especially for those who think this story isn’t relevant anymore, that the civil rights movement is over and done with.  Words cannot express how grateful I am that they fought so hard for everyone to have equal rights and that they never gave up on trying to change things.