Response to March Book 2

After my group members and I finished reading Stephen Ambrose’s D Day, we were all mentally exhausted and were looking for a changeup in the type of books we were reading. To be honest we wanted something shorter so that we could even out the styles and length of our books in English class. We decided on March: Book 2, because we all had read the first book a few summers ago and because it was a graphic novel, which was very different from the book we had just read. I do not believe any of us were expecting too much out of this book but personally I was very pleasantly surprised by this work. March: Book 2 by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin was one of the most powerful and expressive reads I have experienced in a while. For the amount of words that are in this book, Lewis and Aydin masterfully connect the reader with the story and message they are trying to tell throughout the book. I suppose that is the beauty of the graphic novel. This book teaches you about the efforts of John Lewis and many other civil rights movement workers through the freedom rides and lunch counter sit ins. It was truly inspiring to learn even more about the non violent practices implemented by Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., and countless others in the face of extreme violence on a day to day basis. The courage and integrity of these men and women was simply incredible. It then leads me to think about the modern day United States. Obviously we still have much work to do on the battlefield for racial justice and equality. I believe to solve this present and ever relevant problem we must learn something from the past. We must take a lesson from those who came before all of us. I believe if this country can harness the morals and ideals practiced by John Lewis, MLK, and all the other people of their time, then we will finally be able to make substantial progress in this fight. I believe that the non-violent ways of their protests and outcry for justice is what led them to success back then and believe it could help current day in the United States and around the world.

 

A Reader’s Response to March Book 2

Our discussion in class the other day about the villains in our respective books was very intriguing when it came to my group’s book, March Book 2 by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Obviously in a book about civil rights and the advancement of black people, there are clear villains that jump to the forefront right away. One of the infamous villains that John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., and many other brave black people struggled with is a man named Eugene “Bull” Connor. He was the head of public safety in Birmingham, Alabama during the time of a plethora of protests and demonstrations demanding equality and fairness for all people regardless of skin color. Bull Connor’s responses to these protests were absolutely barbaric. He would have masses of vicious dogs released, spray groups and individuals with extremely powerful firehoses, and he arrested countless protestors. Bull Connor was easily one of the most brutal villains during the fight for black civil rights. It is ironic because he made the struggle much more difficult, but at the same time, his outrageous cruelty drew so much attention to Birmingham that the black movement gained tremendous support. All sorts of news outlets and reporters could not get enough of the clashes in Birmingham; when it hit national media, many were enraged with Bull Connor and decided to get behind the civil rights movement. Bull Connor’s actions ultimately ended up ruining his backlash against civil rights and Birmingham was viewed as a success for black people, especially after the freedom rides led to the prohibition of segregation on all interstate transportation by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Although Bull Connor thought he was winning as he was responsible for so much harm, his illegal actions came back to bite him right in the ass. What was so impressive about the whole thing is the bravery shown not only in Birmingham, but also in Nashville, Albany, Washington D.C., and so many other places. John Lewis showed remarkable leadership and courage as he was always willing to do whatever it took to make his point. He and his followers stood up to villains like Connor with an unwavering sense of pride and dedication, and that is how they overcame their obstacles.