First published 2015
John Lewis chronicles his journey from a teenage boy on an Alabama cotton farm to becoming a central figure in America's civil rights struggle. In 1957, Lewis travels to Nashville, which becomes the heart of the movement for racial equality. He embraces nonviolent resistance and emerges as a charismatic leader during the Nashville Movement, where students use sit-in tactics inspired by Gandhi's teachings to desegregate the city. Lewis leads efforts during the critical Selma marches and survives Bloody Sunday. He participates in the Freedom Rides that challenge segregation across the South. Mentored by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis helps reshape American society through his unwavering commitment to peaceful protest. His activism continues into politics when he wins a Georgia congressional seat in 1986, where he serves while writing this memoir. This national bestseller captures the courage required to transform a nation and stands as a vital record of the civil rights era.
Genres: civil-war, historical, 20th-century, african-american, biography-memoir, 21st-century, activism, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, mentor-mentee, social-change
Setting: Alabama, Georgia, Nashville, Selma
Period: 1957, 1986
544 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster