Tramway Reviews #2: March by John Lewis

Hey folks, 

before we begin, I'd like to dedicate this post to the late Congressman John Lewis, and Chadwick 

Boseman. We lost two great people this year, and let us not forget to keep fighting for equality in all 

fields, entertainment and in our government. Rest in Power gentlemen, rest in power. 

Welcome back to Tug & Tram Blogging, 

and welcome to the second edition of Tramway Reviews. Today's post was voted on by Twitter 

users. If you want to vote for books or make recommendations, consider following me on 

Twitter, @ConductorPat, and be sure to hit the bell so that you see when I tweet. 

    Today's post is also the first sponsored post! Today's post is brought to you today 

by tidbitediting.com. tidbitediting is run by friend Cristina Jantz, who recently graduated from college. 

I can say from personal experience that Cristina's a great editor and gives helpful feedback. She's firm 

and suggestive, and never comes off as over critical. It's clear that she wants to help you build your 

writing up. To get editing feedback from Cristina, make sure to visit the link above. Now, onto the 

review.

DISCLAIMERS: 1) The following review may contain minor or major (depending on your opinion) 

spoilers for March. While I will try to warn you of that before I dig in too deep, please keep that in 

mind while reading, or please consider reading March, then returning.  

    2) Some of the content in March may be upsetting and is graphic, including depictions of violent 

racism and murder. The N-word is used throughout March, and may be upsetting for some readers. 

While I will not use that word myself, please keep that in mind when reading March. 

    

    March, Books 1-3 is a nonfiction Graphic Novel written by the late Congressman John 

Lewis, with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell. March follows the story of John Lewis 

and the Civil Rights movement, of which Congressman Lewis acted as one of the youngest leaders. 

The trilogy follows John Lewis's life from a young child up to his Young Adult years, right up to 

nearly the end of the Civil Right's movement. 

    

The March Covers. Images ⓒ Top Shelf Comics. Used Under Fair Use.

    March's most important element is the humanization of figures we sometimes like to idolize a lot, 

such as Dr./Rev MLK Jr. (Since he has two titles, I will refer to him as MLK Jr. for simplicity from this 

point on). In Book 2, MLK Jr. clashes with members of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating 

Committee (which John becomes chairman of) over the Mississippi Voting project. MLK Jr. decides 

not to join them, and some members become clearly frustrated with him.

    Another example of the humanization is when John Lewis clashes with older leaders over some of 

the wording in his speech, in particular where he bashes the word patience, much to the outrage of a 

Catholic leader. John Lewis does change it, showing an example of compromising, but not 

compromising on your ideals. Following his speech, President Kennedy is also humanized when he 

bluntly says "I heard your speech to John Lewis," while giving the other speakers a more pleasant 

welcome. 

    

    While the Civil Rights leader had their disagreements, the books show them working together. 

We get a look behind the scenes at training for being nonviolent and the fears they held, such as police 

brutality. One such scene is when Bull Connor famously used fire-hoses on peaceful protesters. Many 

of the violent acts seem all too familiar to today, making March more relevant than ever. 

 

   March allows readers to see the violence first hand. The most powerful scene is arguably the Bloody 

Sunday pages. (Please note this section may be upsetting for some readers and includes spoilers) 

During the march, John Lewis is hit on the head with a baton, and the color pallet swaps. The white 

becomes the main color, signifying the head injury John Lewis sustained, but also makes you pause 

and realize this moment's serious. Nonviolent protesters run screaming for their lives while whites yell 

"Get the N*******!" 

    The first hand window would not be as possible if March was a novel. March takes full use of the 

comic medium to express scenes of horror, moments of fear, anger, and resistance, while also giving us 

the space to feel safe while observing. It's the closest we'll ever get to time traveling to the Civil Rights 

era.

    The N-word is used throughout March, and conveys the open racism of the era. Unlike in some 

projects, where it might be used for shock, March makes the use feel professional and important to the 

theme and recollection.

   One moment that stood out to me most was during the lunch counter protests, the restaurant owner 

(again, possibly upsetting for some readers & spoilers) turned on a fumigator. My mind made the 

immediate comparison to another dark part of history, the Holocaut. The irony stands: how can a nation 

go and fight for democracy and end murder elsewhere, while allowing such atrocities to happen at 

home? (The store owner also locked them in and was not charged)

    Arguably, one of the best moments in March is John Lewis' speech during the March on Washington 

DC. I will admit, I didn't know until reading March that MLK Jr. wasn't the only one to speak that day. 

John Lewis' script is included almost word for word in the novelization, but I'll include it here so you 

can hear his voice. (I recommend reading while listening to the speech). The quote "We do not want 

our freedom gradually, but we want our freedom now" rings true and powerful today. 

     

    March ends with the Civil Rights Movement beginning to fall apart, and President Johnson signing 

the Voting Rights Act of 1965, so ending on a slightly happy note. We also see, throughout the book, 

John Lewis, now a Congressman, at Barrack Obama's inauguration. There's a theme of hope 

throughout March, that  includes President Obama's inauguration, including much earlier when 

arrested civil rights activists sang "We shall overcome." 

    March deals with a lot of death, including that of Emit Till, Malcom X, and the infamous Youth 

Sunday bombing. The pages make you stop and think about how far we've come, and how far we still 

need to go. It also questions preconcieved ideas of images, in particular the Confederate Flag. The 

controversial flag is scene throughout March, such as when the KKK fly it to intimidate Freedom 

Riders, when teens celebrate the deaths of children at the Youth Sunday Church Bombing/(Terrorist 

Attack by today's standards). It makes you question if the flag is worth saving as an icon of culture. 

    March is also not afraid to show lawbreaking. John Lewis is arrested throughout March. John Lewis 

and the other Civil Rights activists were not afraid to be arrested, even knowing the danger they put 

themselves in, again echoing the activism of today. As Congressman Lewis said, we need to get into 

"Good Trouble."

    March is a relevant comic that everyone should read. John Lewis' story of fighting for freedom 

echoes the Black Lives Matter movement of today (which he endorsed, saying "Emit Till was my 

George Floyd"). To read John Lewis' last words for the next generation, please click here. Rest in 

Power Congressman Lewis.

    If you enjoyed March, other comics dealing with serious issues you may enjoy include Maus, Art 

Spigelman's retelling of his parents surviving the Holocaust. Another one, but more fiction, is 

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. 

    Have you read March? What're your thoughts, and what're some nonfiction comics you'd 

recommend? Let me know in the comments on here or my linked social media. Special thanks again 

to tidbitediting.com for sponsoring this post. And a special thanks to Adiba Jaigirdar, whose post about 

book reviews helped me to improve this post. You can find her on Twitter as @adiba_j.

    If you wish to follow me on social media, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If 

you'd like to connect with me professionally, please consider connecting on LinkedIn, mention that you 

came from Tug & Tram Blogging. 

    Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you on the Tramway. And keep getting into good trouble.