Run: Book One by John Lewis: Book Review

Title: Run: Book One
Author: John Lewis with Andrew Aydin
Illustrator: L. Fury and Nate Powell
Genre: Memoir, History, Social Justice, Politics, Southern Literature, Graphic Novel
Audience: Young Adult
Content Warning: Racism, Violence, Sexism, Murder

My Review:

There’s a lot going on here as John Lewis transitions his life story from March to Run. The Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act were finally passed at the end of March: Book Three but that doesn’t mean that the struggle is over.

The book feels a little chaotic to me but it’s about a chaotic time and alliances and boundaries are constantly shifting. The Civil Rights Movement has gotten some much-needed laws passed but getting them enforced is proving almost impossible. Some people have moved onto the next logical step–running for office. They encounter variations of the same racist obstacles and road blocks that they’ve been fighting for so long.

I keep writing more but this review keeps turning into a summary so I’m going to stop here. Many of us probably believe that once those two acts passed, everything was magically better. I recommend this book to show readers that in some ways, the real fight was just beginning.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

First you march, then you run. From the #1 bestselling, award–winning team behind March comes the first book in their new, groundbreaking graphic novel series, Run: Book One

“In sharing my story, it is my hope that a new generation will be inspired by Run to actively participate in the democratic process and help build a more perfect Union here in America.” –Congressman John Lewis

The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel series March—the continuation of the life story of John Lewis and the struggles seen across the United States after the Selma voting rights campaign.

To John Lewis, the civil rights movement came to an end with the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. But that was after more than five years as one of the preeminent figures of the movement, leading sit–in protests and fighting segregation on interstate busways as an original Freedom Rider. It was after becoming chairman of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and being the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. It was after helping organize the Mississippi Freedom Summer and the ensuing delegate challenge at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. And after coleading the march from Selma to Montgomery on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” All too often, the depiction of history ends with a great victory. But John Lewis knew that victories are just the beginning. In Run: Book One, John Lewis and longtime collaborator Andrew Aydin reteam with Nate Powell—the award–winning illustrator of the March trilogy—and are joined by L. Fury—making an astonishing graphic novel debut—to tell this often overlooked chapter of civil rights history.

Similar Books:

If you liked Run: Book One, you might also like my reviews of

• March: Book Three by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell
• The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Young Readers Edition) by Jeanne Theoharis, adapted by Brandy Colbert
• Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams

Reading Challenges:

Purchase:

Buy Run: Book One from Malaprop’s Bookstore in beautiful Asheville, NC or

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