by John Lewis
First published 2021
John Lewis stands at a crossroads in 1965. The Voting Rights Act has just been signed, and many believe the civil rights movement has reached its end. Lewis knows better. He has spent five years at the movement's center, leading sit-ins, riding interstate buses as a Freedom Rider, and serving as the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. He organized Mississippi Freedom Summer and helped lead the march from Selma to Montgomery on Bloody Sunday. Now he faces a new challenge. The legal victories are just the beginning. The real work of building democracy and ensuring equal participation lies ahead. Lewis must navigate the complex aftermath of legislative success, confronting the gap between laws on paper and justice in practice. This graphic novel captures Lewis's understanding that true change requires sustained effort beyond momentous victories. The story reveals how one man's commitment to democratic ideals drives him forward when others might rest on their achievements.
Genres: civil-war, historical-fiction, political-science, biography-memoir, activism, graphic-novels-comics, african-american-historical-fiction, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, underdog
Setting: Selma, Montgomery
Period: 1965
152 pages · Hardcover · Abrams ComicArts