abookandaspotoftea's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
joyblue's review
informative
slow-paced
2.0
I'm so disappointed in His Truth Is Marching On. I'm a great admirer of John Lewis, and I know that Meacham is a noted historical writer. There is just too much extraneous detail in this book. What I really wanted was a deeper examination of Lewis' life and career, including more about his work in the House of Representatives. I got the same biographical and Civil Rights Era basics that I've gotten from plenty of other sources, and a whole bunch of super-detailed conversations among others, not even pertaining directly to Lewis.
In fact, I felt like parts of this were possibly wholesale repeated from Meacham's The Soul of America. Like that book, this one could have done with a serious editing/paring both for continuity, order, and length.
My partner brought up the idea that perhaps Meacham's publisher has been rushing his books because of the upheaval of the current administration. Maybe so. Given that these are my only exposures to Meacham so far, I'm not encouraged to read more of him.
In fact, I felt like parts of this were possibly wholesale repeated from Meacham's The Soul of America. Like that book, this one could have done with a serious editing/paring both for continuity, order, and length.
My partner brought up the idea that perhaps Meacham's publisher has been rushing his books because of the upheaval of the current administration. Maybe so. Given that these are my only exposures to Meacham so far, I'm not encouraged to read more of him.
lifelivedbooked's review
5.0
If, like me, you knew that John Lewis was had an essential role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, but weren't sure exactly what that role was, either because your knowledge of the specifics of the Civil Rights Movement is fuzzy, or your education was framed through the lens of Martin Luther King, Jr., this is an excellent historical recount of the era through the lens of one of the few major actors that lived into the 21st century and continued to have a direct influence in Federal Government.
I enjoyed how Meacham combined John Lewis's own words from his memoir and interviews and conversations between Lewis and the author with the historical record and quotes from men and women who knew and worked closely with Lewis. In this book is a overview of the larger civil rights movement and Lewis's laser-like focus on non-violence as a means to save the nation from its history of racial injustice. What really struck me in the reading of this is just how recently in our history Jim Crow was law in the South, and where the fight for Civil Rights fit into the larger historical context with the Vietnam War.
By the author's own admission, this is not an exhaustive biography of John Lewis, but focuses primarily on his work and experience as a Civil Rights activist up until he was elected for federal office in the House of Representatives in 1987. I definitely recommend for any American looking to brush up on their Civil Rights Act knowledge.
I enjoyed how Meacham combined John Lewis's own words from his memoir and interviews and conversations between Lewis and the author with the historical record and quotes from men and women who knew and worked closely with Lewis. In this book is a overview of the larger civil rights movement and Lewis's laser-like focus on non-violence as a means to save the nation from its history of racial injustice. What really struck me in the reading of this is just how recently in our history Jim Crow was law in the South, and where the fight for Civil Rights fit into the larger historical context with the Vietnam War.
By the author's own admission, this is not an exhaustive biography of John Lewis, but focuses primarily on his work and experience as a Civil Rights activist up until he was elected for federal office in the House of Representatives in 1987. I definitely recommend for any American looking to brush up on their Civil Rights Act knowledge.
whatsbookinjenni's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
4.0
I received an early e-copy of His Truth is Marching On from Random House through Netgalley. This book is out now.
Throughout my reading of this nonfiction book, I had difficulty putting into words what standard genre and narrative style this book falls into. Jon Meacham in his author’s note, however, does an excellent job of capturing this book’s purpose: “This is not a full-scale biography. It is, rather, an appreciative account of the major moments of Lewis’s life in the [Civil Rights] movement, of the theological understanding he brought to the struggle, and of the utility of that vision as America enters the third decade of the twenty-first century amid division and fear.” In this part-biography, part-history-of-the-Civil-Rights-Movement, and part exploration of America’s twenty-first-century theological underpinnings, Meacham attempts to capture the impact John Lewis had on the Civil Rights Movement and America more broadly, an impact I personally feel has not yet been fully realized. The work Lewis has done in the last sixty years has shaped America in so many ways and I can only imagine his legacy and the impact he had on our country will continue to grow moving forward.
It should be noted (as Jon Meacham did in his author’s note), as I was not aware of this until I began the book and was initially put off by this, that this is not comprehensive by any means. Meacham has been quite selective in his telling of Lewis’s life and the work of the Civil Rights Movement, focusing on key events in which Lewis played a large role (the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, Bloody Sunday). Meacham does provide miniature biographies of several major figures involved on both sides of the movement, including Martin Luther King Jr., Diane Nash, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, George Wallace, and Eugene “Bull” Connor, which may be useful to some readers less familiar with the movement and the important historical figures. Throughout the text, Meacham relies heavily on quotations, giving this book a bit of an oral-history feel.
Meacham, due to his shared interest with Lewis in Christian theology, also focuses much of his attention in this book on the Christian theological underpinnings of the Civil Rights Movement, which—despite that fact that Lewis attended seminary school and MLK Jr. was a Reverend—is not often something I have experienced in learning about the movement, so I found those aspects of this text to be quite fascinating, especially when contrasted to the non-Christian leaders of the movement, such as members of the Nation of Islam like Malcolm X.
All in all, I enjoyed learning more about John Lewis and getting a refresher on some of the key elements of the Civil Rights Movement, but I do wish this had been a bit more comprehensive and/or focused.
Throughout my reading of this nonfiction book, I had difficulty putting into words what standard genre and narrative style this book falls into. Jon Meacham in his author’s note, however, does an excellent job of capturing this book’s purpose: “This is not a full-scale biography. It is, rather, an appreciative account of the major moments of Lewis’s life in the [Civil Rights] movement, of the theological understanding he brought to the struggle, and of the utility of that vision as America enters the third decade of the twenty-first century amid division and fear.” In this part-biography, part-history-of-the-Civil-Rights-Movement, and part exploration of America’s twenty-first-century theological underpinnings, Meacham attempts to capture the impact John Lewis had on the Civil Rights Movement and America more broadly, an impact I personally feel has not yet been fully realized. The work Lewis has done in the last sixty years has shaped America in so many ways and I can only imagine his legacy and the impact he had on our country will continue to grow moving forward.
It should be noted (as Jon Meacham did in his author’s note), as I was not aware of this until I began the book and was initially put off by this, that this is not comprehensive by any means. Meacham has been quite selective in his telling of Lewis’s life and the work of the Civil Rights Movement, focusing on key events in which Lewis played a large role (the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, Bloody Sunday). Meacham does provide miniature biographies of several major figures involved on both sides of the movement, including Martin Luther King Jr., Diane Nash, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, George Wallace, and Eugene “Bull” Connor, which may be useful to some readers less familiar with the movement and the important historical figures. Throughout the text, Meacham relies heavily on quotations, giving this book a bit of an oral-history feel.
Meacham, due to his shared interest with Lewis in Christian theology, also focuses much of his attention in this book on the Christian theological underpinnings of the Civil Rights Movement, which—despite that fact that Lewis attended seminary school and MLK Jr. was a Reverend—is not often something I have experienced in learning about the movement, so I found those aspects of this text to be quite fascinating, especially when contrasted to the non-Christian leaders of the movement, such as members of the Nation of Islam like Malcolm X.
All in all, I enjoyed learning more about John Lewis and getting a refresher on some of the key elements of the Civil Rights Movement, but I do wish this had been a bit more comprehensive and/or focused.
debz57a52's review
4.0
Fabulous read, fabulous story, fabulous man. A volunteer in my classroom found this series of graphic novels and got a lot of students who don't enjoy reading to really delve into March by John Lewis... and learn something about history at the same time! I look forward to putting the volumes on my shelf in the new school year.
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