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(1)
YA
Illustrated by
L. Fury
&
Nate Powell.
The story begun in the March graphic memoirs (rev. 1/14, 5/15, and 9/16)--events of the civil rights movement as seen through the eyes of young activist (and later longtime Congress member) John Lewis--continues in this first volume of a projected new series. It picks up after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as Lewis questions his own effectiveness as SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) chairperson. But Lewis's personal story is mostly a springboard to larger events. Depictions of efforts by segregationists to close or move polling stations; the unpunished 1966 murder of young Black man Samuel Younge Jr.; and the prevention of Julian Bond's being seated in the Georgia General Assembly show how white supremacists and segregationists were emboldened to maintain existing power structures. Taking over most art duties from March illustrator Powell (who illustrates the pages leading up to the title page), Fury renders emotionally devastating, often violent events and quieter moments with equal finesse. Her grayscale art is reminiscent of Powell's, but with cleaner-lined, less stylized figures. Extensive back matter includes biographical information on dozens of individuals, meticulous source notes, and additional background on both the civil rights movement and the book's creation. Most of the finished pages were completed before Lewis's death in 2020; plans are in progress for the series to continue with additional material he and Aydin worked on together. As informative and essential an addition to the nonfiction comic canon as its much-lauded predecessors.
Reviewer: Eric Carpenter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2021
254 pp.
| Top Shelf
| August, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60309-402-3$19.99
(1)
YA
Illustrated by
Nate Powell.
This final volume includes the expected and necessary set pieces from the civil rights movement, culminating, finally, with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But the smaller, lesser-known moments of violence, injustice, and helplessness are no less painful than these major events to read about, and Lewis recalls them with intimate familiarity and bracing honesty. Powell's kinetic, fluid black-and-white illustrations underscore the period's brutality.
Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2016
192 pp.
| Top Shelf
| January, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60309-400-9$19.95
(1)
YA
Illustrated by
Nate Powell.
In the graphic-memoir trilogy's second volume, dramatic descriptions and vivid black-and-white illustrations follow Lewis through direct action campaigns in Nashville, Freedom Rides into the Deep South, and his speech at the 1963 March on Washington. The account has the authority of a passionate participant; the pacing ramps up tension and historical import. A standout among the many excellent volumes on civil rights.
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2015
128 pp.
| Top Shelf
| August, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60309-300-2$14.95
(1)
YA
Illustrated by
Nate Powell.
Congressman John Lewis--the last surviving member of the "Big Six" civil rights leaders--recounts his formative years in this first volume of a planned trilogy. The book opens on "Bloody Sunday" then fast-forwards to Barack Obama's January 2009 inauguration. The volume is well designed and the story expertly paced. Powell re-creates the time period vividly through his emotion-filled black-and-white art.
Reviewer: Sam Bloom
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2014
4 reviews
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