March: Book 1 by by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin (Co-writer), Nate Powell (Artist)

“Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Book One spans John Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.
Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1950s comic book ‘Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story.’ Now, his own comics bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.” – Goodreads

This is a must-read graphic novel series. The illustrations are a perfect blend of realism and dreamy artwork. Powell took on the task of depicting Civil Rights giants with such care, consideration, and thoughtfulness. The story is framed by Lewis’s experience at Obama’s first inauguration, an interesting device that reminds the reader who far we’ve come – and yet how far there is still to go.

Call #GN L58m

Review by Vicki

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide; written by Isabel Quintero & illustrated by Zeke Peña

“Graciela Iturbide was born in México City in 1942, the oldest of 13 children. When tragedy struck Iturbide as a young mother, she turned to photography for solace and understanding. From then on Iturbide embarked on a photographic journey that has taken her throughout her native México, from the Sonora Desert to Juchitán to Frida Kahlo’s bathroom, to the United States, India, and beyond. Photographic is a symbolic, poetic, and deeply personal graphic biography of this iconic photographer. Iturbide’s journey will excite readers of all ages as well as budding photographers, who will be inspired by her resolve, talent, and curiosity.” – Goodreads

While the black and white images and thoughtful interspersing of Iturbide’s real-life photography is incredibly moving, this book’s strength is the writing. This is a great example of what happens when #ownvoices writers are given free-reign over the creative aspects of a piece of work. Quintero’s words radiate love, respect, and awe for Iturbide’s work, and given that this is a graphic novelization about photography, that’s really saying something.

Call # 770.92 Q458ph

Review by Vicki

Bonnie and Clyde by Karen Blumenthal

“Bonnie and Clyde may be the most notorious–and celebrated–outlaw couple America has ever known. This is the true story of how they got that way.
Bonnie and Clyde: we’ve been on a first name basis with them for almost a hundred years. Immortalized in movies, songs, and pop culture references, they are remembered mostly for their storied romance and tragic deaths. But what was life really like for Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in the early 1930s? How did two dirt-poor teens from west Texas morph from vicious outlaws to legendary couple? And why?” – Goodreads

Highly recommended for true crime fans, award-winning young adult non-fiction writer Karen Blumenthal delves deeply into the lives and deaths of these notorious criminals. In this endeavor, she also explores the circumstances of poverty and Southern culture during the Great Depression. With descriptions of page-turning exploits and a surprisingly humanizing portrait of two figures we’ve come to know as evil, Blumenthal’s detailed research paints a complex portrait of two marginalized people as well as the devastating and terrible consequences of their violent behavior. Each chapter that contains the death of one of Bonnie and Clyde’s victims ends with a brief biography of that person’s life; this is a compelling and informative conceit that really emphasizes the grave and tragic impact of their acts of violence. This book also does an interesting job exploring the surprising nature of law enforcement during one of America’s most challenging time periods as well as the public fascination with crime and celebrity culture. Overall, the thoughtful structure of the book as well as the outstanding and gripping primary source photos make this a must-read pick.

Call # 364.15 B627bo

Review by Vicki

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park

A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.” – Goodreads

This book could not be more timely given some of the recent news about a large group of migrant folks who have attempted entry into the US. I cannot recommend this book enough – it’s perfect for all ages, even though there are some graphic images and occasional violence. It is also written with super clever breaks in the parallel narratives, compelling the reader to move swiftly through the book to find out what happens. Also, it’s very short, making it an extremely quick but incredibly important and poignant look at what refugees endure when fleeing violence and instability.

Call # S. P219l (at SSHEL)

Review by Vicki