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A review by criticalgayze
March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
While (and I know this will be fairly obvious) I think I would need to give the whole collection a chance to give the most accurate and fairest rating, March: Book One was an incredibly moving and captivating piece of graphic memoir. The powerful nature of visual storytelling is, while running the risk of asking to see the pain of others, an effective choice for chronicling tales of injustice. Much in the way I found it moving in Mira Jacob's Good Talk, the use of the graphic memoir here again highlights the experience in an undeniably emotive way.
I also found the framing of the story very interesting. The memoir narrative in Book One is framed around Lewis getting prepared to leave his office for the inauguration of President Obama on January 20, 2009. In much the way Scrooge is prompted to reconsider his choices by spectral visitations in A Christmas Carol, Lewis's life stories are instigated by things that play out during the preparations. He is first visited by a family of constituents from Atlanta, which leads to a reflection on his childhood and schooling. Next, a message from Reverend Jim Lawson prompts a reflection on his initiation to direct involvement with civil rights in Nashville. Finally, a missed phone call on the way out of his office leads to scenes from Lewis's first march on the office of the Mayor of Nashville, which led to the integration of lunch counters in the city.
Very powerful, very stylish, and very well constructed: All the things you want in a piece of graphic art.
I also found the framing of the story very interesting. The memoir narrative in Book One is framed around Lewis getting prepared to leave his office for the inauguration of President Obama on January 20, 2009. In much the way Scrooge is prompted to reconsider his choices by spectral visitations in A Christmas Carol, Lewis's life stories are instigated by things that play out during the preparations. He is first visited by a family of constituents from Atlanta, which leads to a reflection on his childhood and schooling. Next, a message from Reverend Jim Lawson prompts a reflection on his initiation to direct involvement with civil rights in Nashville. Finally, a missed phone call on the way out of his office leads to scenes from Lewis's first march on the office of the Mayor of Nashville, which led to the integration of lunch counters in the city.
Very powerful, very stylish, and very well constructed: All the things you want in a piece of graphic art.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, and Animal death
Minor: Murder