The novel is based on the life of John Lewis and opens with a group of African American protestors marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. A series of frames show police officers wearing gas masks and shouting at the protestors to disperse (Lewis & Aydin, 2016). The police deny the demand of one of the protestors, Hosea, who requests to speak with the Major. The police tell the protestors they have two minutes to turn around, but they choose to kneel instead. The next series of frames demonstrate police brutality images against the African American protestors who have tear gas thrown at them and are dragged off the bridge.
The subsequent narrative then flashes forward to January 20, 2009, in Washington DC, the inauguration of the new president. Congressman John Lewis wakes up early, gets dressed, and prepares for President Barack Obama’s inauguration (Lewis & Aydin, 2016). In his office, Lewis greets a few visitors, a woman and her two young sons, who were not expecting to see Mr. Lewis. One of the boys notices Mr. Lewis has several pictures of the chicken in his office, and he decides to ask why. Lewis recalls his childhood on a farm in Alabama. He had a connection with chickens and treated them as his friends. As a kid, after being introduced to the Bible, he could practice his sermons on the chicken, baptize them and hold proper funeral services when they died of natural causes.
Lewis remembers 1951 when he traveled north with his uncle Otis to visit some relatives. Lewis enjoyed the trip and returned home with a completely different view of the world. This is demonstrated when he said, “I couldn’t believe … they had white people living next door to them. On both sides,” after seeing what equality looks like in Buffalo, Newyork (Lewis & Aydin, 2016, p. 145). When school started that fall, John was disappointed since neither his parents nor church leaders were interested in pursuing desegregation (Lewis & Aydin, 2016). He hears Martin Luther King on the radio talking about desegregation and supporting Rosa park in her case, which he admired.
At fifteen years, Lewis delivers his first sermon making his mark as a leader. John goes to a college for ministers in Nashville after high school. He worries that he is not doing enough to support social justice movements by saying, “I started to feel guilty for not doing more. I became restless” (Lewis & Aydin, 2016, p. 160). He tries to transfer to Troy state, which rejected him since it was attended by white people only. Dr. King offered to help him sue the school, but Lewis’s parents were unwilling to take the risk. Lewis is reminded of the late fifties when he participated in non-violent protests.
Students began training in various ways of pacifism and staged sit-ins at different lunch counters. Segregationists attack the protestors immediately they sit, but the protestors took the beating silently. The protestors are arrested, and Lewis writes that he felt “free, liberated, like I had crossed over” (Lewis & Aydin, 2016, p. 161). Their bail was reduced to only five dollars, but the protestors refused to pay, therefore forcing the police to let them go. Dr. Stephen J. Wright acknowledges and congratulates the protestors saying, “I stand with you. Nashville stands with you” (Lewis & Aydin, 2016, p. 162). The protestors were represented in court by Mr looby, whose motions were refused by the white judges.
They were all found guilty and given a penalty of fifty dollars each or thirty days in the workhouse; they were released after a few days. Lewis’s mind flashes back to April 19, 1960; dynamite had been thrown through the window of defense attorney Looby’s home. The protestors march to the mayor’s office, which promises to enforce the city’s law without prejudice. Lewis recalls the king’s speech of reassurance “The universe is with us. Walk together, children. Don’t get weary” (Lewis & Aydin, 2016, p. 165).
As for my reaction to this book, I found engaging to observe the background of the struggle for civil rights. These days, they present something, which is obvious and habitual. Modern people rarely think about the value of these rights, and the book prompts the readers to receive an in-depth insight into this issue. It forces us to contemplate the courage and determination required to contribute to a prosperous future for the entire society.
In addition, March Book 1 is unique in its own way due to its illustrations, which are helpful for imagining the process of the struggle. The pictures covey the dynamics and encouragement and demonstrate the emotions and worries of the people involved in the movement, which is extremely inspiring. The illustrations make the story and its message more adjusted to the perception of modern people, which definitely attracts the attention of the broad public. Thus, this book gives a strong impression and may be interesting in the context of obtaining the comprehension of the right movement and the historical circumstances.
References
Lewis, J., & Aydin, A. (2016). March: Book one. Top Shelf Productions.