Prompt:
Introduce the beginning of March: Book 1, introduce the authors, and summarize
the overall plot points so far (What is it about?!).
Then reflect on aspects of the story that you found interesting, engaging, or
impactful.
Do you like it? Dislike it? Why? Or why not?
Are you surprised by some of the choices in the novel?
Response:
March: Book 1 is a graphic novel co-written by the late Congressman John Lewis,
Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell. In the first sixty pages, we are
introduced to Congressman Lewis and his personal journey through the early stages
of the Civil Rights Movement. The novel begins with a flashback to the Selma to
Montgomery march in 1965, one of the key moments in civil rights history. It then
shifts to the day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009, where
Congressman Lewis is preparing to attend the historic event.
The narrative then takes us back to John Lewis’s childhood in Pike County,
Alabama. We learn about his life growing up on a farm, taking care of chickens, and
developing a deep appreciation for learning and preaching. He even practiced
sermons with his chickens as an audience. A summer trip to Ohio with his uncle
opens his eyes to a different version of America—one that seemed more industrial
and less racially divided.
We also learn that Lewis deeply valued education. He would hide and run to the
school bus when his father wanted him to stay home to help with farm work,
showing his determination to stay in school. The novel highlights how events like
Brown v. Board of Education and hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the radio
shaped Lewis’s understanding of justice and activism.
Introduce the beginning of March: Book 1, introduce the authors, and summarize
the overall plot points so far (What is it about?!).
Then reflect on aspects of the story that you found interesting, engaging, or
impactful.
Do you like it? Dislike it? Why? Or why not?
Are you surprised by some of the choices in the novel?
Response:
March: Book 1 is a graphic novel co-written by the late Congressman John Lewis,
Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell. In the first sixty pages, we are
introduced to Congressman Lewis and his personal journey through the early stages
of the Civil Rights Movement. The novel begins with a flashback to the Selma to
Montgomery march in 1965, one of the key moments in civil rights history. It then
shifts to the day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009, where
Congressman Lewis is preparing to attend the historic event.
The narrative then takes us back to John Lewis’s childhood in Pike County,
Alabama. We learn about his life growing up on a farm, taking care of chickens, and
developing a deep appreciation for learning and preaching. He even practiced
sermons with his chickens as an audience. A summer trip to Ohio with his uncle
opens his eyes to a different version of America—one that seemed more industrial
and less racially divided.
We also learn that Lewis deeply valued education. He would hide and run to the
school bus when his father wanted him to stay home to help with farm work,
showing his determination to stay in school. The novel highlights how events like
Brown v. Board of Education and hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the radio
shaped Lewis’s understanding of justice and activism.
