March: Book Three

A powerful work, representing a voice still absent from textbooks, March’s story is as relevant today as in 1965—not for its historical atrocities mirrored on our nightly news but for the people who continue to fight. The final installment in Sen. John Lewis’ graphic novel series, March: Book Three, recalls the senator’s experiences in the civil rights movement between September 1963 and August 1965. Along with co-writer Andrew Aydin, Sen. Lewis refuses to downplay the horrors and pain created by institutionalized racism, but March’s focus remains on the strength, hope and determination of the individuals and communities who oppose the inequality in our nation. Void of artistic pomp, Nate Powell’s black-and-white art organically depicts emotions grand and small, letting the terrors and triumphs of bombings, murder, marches and songs stand on their own. In word and image, March is an inspiring lesson in the true power we possess within.