I have been trying to write this for over a week now. I sit down, manage a sentence, maybe two, then have to go off and do something else. So forgive me if this turns out to be incoherent and disjointed!
I finished the third volume of March by John Lewis and all I can say is wow. Really, this three volume graphic memoir is fantastic in so many ways. The art is great and the writing is great too. In case you don’t know about it, the memoir chronicles John Lewis’ work in the Civil Right Movement during the 1960s. He includes flashforwards to President Obama’s inauguration which serves as a sort of culminating event. There is a scene where Obama gives Lewis a commemorative postcard upon which he wrote “Because of you.” That made me get teary!
I am ashamed to say that I didn’t know about a lot of the details of many of the events Lewis writes about. My school learning about the Civil Rights Movement has proven to be sadly lacking. And even though I saw the movie Mississippi Burning in 1988 when it came out, I still had no understanding of how bad voter suppression was and the brutal lengths government and law enforcement officials would go to to keep black people from exercising their constitutional and human rights.
Along with the recounting of events, we also get an inside view into the movement, a veritable who’s who, the nonviolent trainings, the politics within and between groups. I am so glad I read the three books. I think they are important enough that everyone should read them and I hope teachers decide to use them in history classes too.
Did you know Neil Gaiman has a new comic series? Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire. How’s that for a mouthful? The story makes fun of things gothic and melodramatic. The main character is an author who wants to write Literature but every time he sits down, his story takes a turn to the gothic cliches. It is great fun but all too short because it only gets through setting everything up and leaves us hanging on the proverbial cliff. Maybe that is all part of the gothic tomfoolery?
The art, as you might expect, is fantastic and really makes this spare volume entertaining. And maybe it is just me, but I think the author in the comic has a bit of resemblance to Gaiman and that really tickled my funnybone. This first volume might not be much, but it makes lots of delightful promises for future issues. Looking forward to them!
Next up on the comic reading pile, the second volume of Black Panther by Ta-Nehesi Coates, and My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris.
I’m back from my month in the USA – we certainly got warmth! – and am now trying to catch up with blog posts I missed while I was away.
March does sound good – the American Civil Rights Movement was pretty formative for me (but still only from afar so I wouldn’t know all the details either.)
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whisperinggums, yay! I hope you had a great time! I am so behind on blog reading of late I fear I will never catch up.
It is surprising to me how much gets left out of what is considered a good education. Back in my school days I suppose it was still fresh and no doubt a lot of lingering prejudice. I hope school these day do a better job of it.
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We had a great and warm time Stefanie, thanks.
And I take your point re education. A lot of work is being done here on inclusion and diversity but it’s hard for schools to overcome the role modelling at home. They’ll get through to some, but my concern is that most students will follow their parents’ views more than what schools teach them. It’s hard thing to break I’m learning.
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Glad to hear you had a great time and got lots of warmth!
Yes, I agree, it is difficult for schools to overcome role modelling at home but not impossible. I like to think that even if minds aren’t changed right away, at least the seeds have been planted to hopefully sprout in the future.
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No not impossible, I agree, Stefanie, it’s just going to take a lot longer than one generation unfortunately.
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I really need to get my hands on The March Books. One cannot overstate how important Lewis’s experiences and accomplishments are. It is also an inspiration that he is still so politically active. He is well worth listening to and knowing about.
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Brian Joseph, agreed! I am glad he is still politically active too. He is a force to be reckoned with and an inspiration.
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That message from Obama is so simple yet is powerful. A lesson in how to convey a message. Re voter registration, the film Selma focuses on that. Well worth watching
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From what I’ve read there were several US states who made it very difficult or impossible for black people to vote in the last election. The battle continues it seems.
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Have you read Gaiman’s American Gods? It’s been turned into a TV series. And it has been announced that his comic book The Sandman and The Graveyard Book will adapted into screen. Looks like he’s one prolific book to screen contributor. 🙂
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March sounds wonderful. I studied civil rights history in college, and now I’m a civil rights attorney, so this sounds like a good choice for me.
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I teared up at the that scene too! All three books were powerful but I was especially affected by the amount of detail in the last volume, which made me wonder if they’d had to cut a lot of material from the first two, before they’d proven their marketability. Have you read the Roxanne Gay volume which is connected to the Black Panther series? I just discovered it recently and am now glad to have it at hand. Of course, never a shortage of good reading, right?
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Oh hey! I absolutely did NOT know that Neil Gaiman has a new comics series, and it sounds wonderful! Will have to check it out.
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