Honoring the Life and Accomplishments of Congressman John Lewis

By Mary Callahan | July 20 2020 | AdultsGeneralAllBlog

From a sharecroppers son to civil rights icon, we are honoring the life & accomplishments of Congressman John Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020).

Congressman John Lewis was a leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and played a key role in the struggle to end segregation. Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks, and serious injuries, John Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence. He co-authored the first comics work to ever win the National Book Award, the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel memoir trilogy MARCH, written with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell. He is also the recipient of numerous awards from national and international institutions including the Lincoln Medal, the John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage” Lifetime Achievement Award, and the NAACP Spingarn Medal, among many others.

The groundbreaking graphic-novel memoir by a legend of the civil rights movement, 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.

Created by Congressman John LewisAndrew Aydin and Nate Powell, this #1 New York Times bestseller is also a Coretta Scott King Honor book, a required text in classrooms across America, and the first graphic novel to win a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.

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.

Book Two picks up after the success of the Nashville sit-in campaign, as 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 movement’s young activists place their lives on the line while internal conflicts threaten to tear them apart.

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.

Book Three is the stunning conclusion.  By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression: “One Man, One Vote.”

To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and an all-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television.

With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening … even as 25-year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma.

Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1958 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.


 

9781603093835
The groundbreaking graphic-novel memoir by a living legend of the civil rights movement, March: Book One, is now available in an oversized hardcover edition. Created by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, this #1 New York Times bestseller is also a Coretta Scott King Honor book, a required text in classrooms across America, and the first graphic novel to win a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. Now this modern classic — praised by everyone from President Bill Clinton to LeVar Burton to Tim Cook — gets the deluxe, oversized hardcover treatment, so the stunning work of Lewis, Aydin, and Powell can be appreciated on a grander scale.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 1958 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.Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award — Special Recognition#1 New York Times Bestseller#1 Washington Post BestsellerA Coretta Scott King Honor BookAn ALA Notable BookOne of YALSA's Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for TeensOne of YALSA's Top 10 Popular Paperbacks for Young AdultsOne of YALSA's Outstanding Books for the College BoundOne of Reader's Digest's Graphic Novels Every Grown-Up Should ReadEndorsed by NYC Public Schools' "NYC Reads 365" programSelected for first-year reading programs by Michigan State University, Marquette University, and Georgia State UniversityNominated for three Will Eisner AwardsNominated for the Glyph AwardNamed one of the best books of 2013 by USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book, Paste, Slate, ComicsAlliance, Amazon, and Apple iBooks.
$29.99 US
Mar 22, 2016
8-3/10 x 11-7/10
Hardcover
128 Pages
Top Shelf Productions

9781603093002
#1 New York Times BestsellerCongressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon and key figure 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 1958 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.Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award — Special Recognition#1 Washington Post BestsellerA Coretta Scott King Honor BookAn ALA Notable BookOne of YALSA's Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for TeensOne of YALSA's Top 10 Popular Paperbacks for Young AdultsOne of YALSA's Outstanding Books for the College BoundOne of Reader's Digest's Graphic Novels Every Grown-Up Should ReadEndorsed by NYC Public Schools' "NYC Reads 365" programSelected for first-year reading programs by Michigan State University, Marquette University, and Georgia State UniversityNominated for three Will Eisner AwardsNominated for the Glyph AwardNamed one of the best books of 2013 by USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book, Paste, Slate, ComicsAlliance, Amazon, and Apple iBooks.
$14.95 US
Aug 13, 2013
6-3/10 x 9-2/5
Paperback
128 Pages
Top Shelf Productions

9781603094009
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 movement's young activists place their lives on the line while internal conflicts threaten to tear them apart. 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.New York Times BestsellerOne of YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens2016 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work - Winner2016 Harvey Award for Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation - Winner2016 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album Original - Winner2016 Street Literature Book Award Medal for Best Graphic Novel - Winner2016 Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo Award for Best Work - Mid/Large Press - Winner
$19.95 US
Jan 20, 2015
6-7/10 x 9-7/10
Paperback
192 Pages
Top Shelf Productions

9781603094023
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.By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression: "One Man, One Vote." To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and an all-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television.With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening ... even as 25-year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma.Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature#1 New York Times Bestseller2017 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner2017 Michael L. Printz Award Winner2017 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner2017 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction - Winner2017 Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature - Winner2017 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award Winner2017 LA Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature - Finalist 
$19.99 US
Aug 02, 2016
6-2/5 x 9-2/5
Paperback
256 Pages
Top Shelf Productions

9781603093958
The award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy is complete! Celebrate with this commemorative set containing all three volumes of March in a stunning new slipcase designed by Nate Powell and Chris Ross and colored by José Villarrubia.
$49.99 US
Sep 06, 2016
6-7/10 x 10-1/10
Boxed Set
576 Pages
Top Shelf Productions