March, Book 1

I finally got my hands on the second and third volumes in John Lewis' graphic memoir, March, so I had to go back and re-read the first one.

The memoir as a whole is about Lewis' experiences in the Civil Rights movement, and the first volume is specifically about how he came to be involved with it and his participation in the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville, Tennessee. It goes in depth with the training Lewis and his fellow students received before the sit-ins, which was quite extensive. And it also shows a lot of the hatred and violence they faced, including attempts on their lives.

The story as a whole is told through flashbacks, both John Lewis' memory and the stories he tells a couple of young constituents who come by his office in the Capital. In the present, this is all happening on the day that Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. The frame provides a nice counter-balance to the story, showing how far we've come and how Lewis' work has paid off.

Of course, reading it now, it's clear how far we still have to go. Learning about the principles of non-violence and seeing the sheer amount of work and dedication that went in to changing the world is more important than ever. I'm excited to read about the rest of Lewis' story.

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