Review of "March: Book Two," by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell

Review of

March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell ISBN 9781603094009

Five out of five stars

 While the early sixties were tumultuous times, much of it had a purpose, the making up for what had been the denial of blacks their rights. Although slavery had ended almost a century earlier, the residue was deep and pervasive. It was necessary for there to be a Civil Rights Movement in the United States and this is the second installment of a three part story of that movement in the form of graphic novels.

 The reader sees history being planned and made as they are taken inside the planning of their tactics by the principle players in the Civil Rights Movement. There was disagreement, some wanted to fight back when attacked, yet the leaders prevailed and kept the actions of the protestors nonviolent. The depiction of the difference of opinion and where some of the leaders showed cowardice in the face of danger is not widely known. The high level of hatred and backlash by whites in the south is shown in the brutal reality.

 Interspersed within the story of the movement are snippets of the election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States. Although they were short, the path from the violent opposition by the segregationists to a black president being sworn into the presidency was clear and a worthy addition to the story.

 This book could and should serve as a supplemental resource in history classes. The brutal suppression of the black people in the United States was a blight that lasted far longer than it should have. There is still a great deal of negative residue remaining, but the first step towards a solution is to know the history of the discrimination, something that is expressed in the content of this book.