Lewis, John, and Andrew Aydin. March Book Two. Art by Nate Powell. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions, 2015. 978-1603094009. 192 p. $19.95. Gr. 9+.

Last year, I had the opportunity to read and review March: Book One, and ever since then I have eagerly anticipated the second installment in this engaging memoir about the life of Congressman John Lewis. The second book does not at all disappoint, and furthers the story of an important figure in the Civil Rights movement. The first book in this trilogy highlighted the lunch counter sit-ins, and the second moves on to the Freedom Rights and ends with the March on Washington. As in the first book, scenes from the first inauguration of President Obama are interspersed throughout, and illustrate Congressman Lewis finally witnessing some success for his years spent fighting for equality. The second book seems to move more quickly, since the first spent time laying the groundwork and describing Lewis’ life prior to his activism. Book Two details event after event in which Lewis participated, and is a bit darker since the movement encouraged more violent responses from racist groups in the south. The artwork continues to be a powerful force throughout the book. Nate Powell’s depictions of the KKK standing outside a bus station evokes chills in the reader, much more so than simply reading about it. I highly recommend this title to librarians looking for ways to incorporate new texts and readings into American History classes. This should be required reading by all high school students as they learn about the Civil Rights movement.

92 Biography        Lindsey Myers, Peters Township High School   

This is an excellent and intriguing way to write a memoir, and I am so glad that I accidently picked up the first book last year. The fact that Lewis chose to write this memoir in graphic novel format shows that he wants to reach a different audience and appeal to Young Adults and others who appreciate this powerful genre.  I am not one to normally read graphic novels, but I absolutely loved this one. The artwork and text come together beautifully and hauntingly to share an important story in our history, and one that is often overlooked in favor of Martin Luther King, Jr. While King does make an appearance in the novel, the story belongs entirely to Congressman Lewis. Recently, I took advantage of the fact that our Honors American History classes are currently studying Civil Rights, and invited myself to their classes for a brief book talk on the first two books in this series. Students were extremely receptive and showed interest in reading the book, and the teacher even included information from my book talk on her upcoming test. I am excited about the possibility of sharing this with the rest of our social studies department and discussing with them how this text could fit into their curriculum. I cannot wait until the final installment is released next year!