Back in 2016 I made a commitment to read more diversely. I am happy to report that I continue to honor this commitment, and will continue to do so moving forward. Throughout the year I read books by black authors, HOWEVER for Black History Month I wanted to take it a step farther and read books that had some historical context. For Black History Month 2018, I decided to read books that centered around the Civil Rights Movement.
» March: Book One, March: Book Two, & March: Book Tree by John Lewis
- What a wonderful way to present such an important part of U.S. history! I’m so happy John Lewis decided to tell this story in graphic novel form – a great way to appeal to the younger readers.
- Do not worry if you haven’t read a graphic novel before or that it is a YA reading level – These books are great for readers of YA to adult. I probably would not recommend to anyone younger than 14 due to some minor graphic content: violence & language.
- Nate Powell really made this memoir come to life – the illustrations are very powerful.
- I’m embarrassed to say that before reading this series, I only knew the key events in the Civil Rights Movement, but never in much depth. I’d obviously heard of key players like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Malcom X, etc, but I never knew about all the other important people and organizations who played such crucial roles in the movement. This series did an excellent job of shedding light to all the lesser known people, organizations, and events in the Civil Rights Movement.
- John Lewis, in my opinion, did a wonderful job of presenting the info in a fair way. He really did try and show both sides of any disagreements or differences of opinions
- Reading this graphic novel series made me realize that the education here in the U.S. (or at least my education) came up short in teaching about the Civil Rights Movement. This period of history deserves more attention.
- The fact that these events took place 50 – 60 years ago boggles my mind. In some ways we have come so far, but we have not come far enough.
» March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine by Melba Pattillo Beals
- Melba Pattillo Beals is known as being one of the “Little Rock Nine” – 9 black students that enrolled in an all-white school in 1957. The enrollment of these students was a test to the Supreme Court Decision in Brown v. Board of Education that ruled segregation in schools was unconstitutional.
- Apparently this book is marketed as a middle grade book, but it felt more YA to me. I feel there are events included that are too sensitive for a MG reader. I would say this book would be more suitable for those 13+ unless they are a mature reader *highlight between arrows to see content warning ⇒ there is a scene where a lynching in a church takes place, and another scene where Melba shares her abduction by the KKK where it is implied women are being raped & killed – there are no graphic details, but things are implied ⇐
- This book is Melba’s autobiography of her life BEFORE becoming one of The Little Rock Nine. Melba details what it was like growing up in racial turmoil.
- I really felt for Melba’s struggle to hide her true self in order to fit in with her peers – unfortunately most people in her life wanted to keep their heads down instead of fighting for what was right. I could definitely sympathize with her frustration.
- I am now very interested in reading her other book that accounts more about being part of the Little Rock Nine – Warriors Don’t Cry
Which books did you read in honor of Black History Month?
Do you have any books that you’d recommend I add to my TBR that center around the Civil Rights Movement?
Comment below & let me know!
All of these titles sound absolutely fascinating! Like you, I don’t know all that much about the movement except for the general bits and famous names… I’m definitely going to look into these.
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The Civil Rights Movement is a part of U.S. history that we like to brush under the rug… much like the aspects of the Civil War & slavery. We just pretend like it didn’t happen.
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Yeah it’s one of the reasons I’m that much more interested to read about it… Although sometimes it’s hard to get a proper unbiased view of them.
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I stuck with my personal reading challenge in February, but I Tweeted reviews of books from Grab the Lapels written by black women every day. I ran out, though, which means I haven’t reviewed 28 books by black women since 2013 😬 Then again, I didn’t share a couple I reviewed negatively, and I don’t review books by men on GTL. Still, not good enough.
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I wouldn’t beat yourself up! Tweeting book reviews of books by black women is a wonderful way to celebrate Black History Month. Do you have a favorite?
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I thought Zora Neale Hurston’s autobiography was hilarious.
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These really do sound fascinating. I shall go away and take a look at them…
Thanks
Lynn 😀
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I think it’s always nice to read some nonfiction works that are about important events in history. I spend so much of my reading time in fantasy worlds, so it’s nice to be in reality every once in a while.
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That’s wonderful reading! March is so good, hope my library will get the sequels! And March forward, Girl looks so good, thanks for bringing it to my attention 😊 I read some Afro-German lit and watched Black Panther ✊💜
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Black Panther! It was the best Marvel movie by far. I loved it so much.
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I haven’t heard of these ones. They sound really interesting. I’m still struggling through Kindred – not because it’s not good, on the contrary – but it’s just so hard to handle. I can barely make myself read it because it just makes me sad for days…
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I started reading the graphic novel version of Kindred, but I set it aside for now. I will be picking it back up soon, but I hadn’t even gotten to any bad parts yet, so now I’m nervous…
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I love graphic novels and really need to explore more of the nonfiction and historical stories they are now releasing. March looks fantastic!
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March is such a perfect way to learn about history in my opinion, especially the civil rights movement. Oftentimes text books & nonfiction books feel cold and emotionless, but in graphic novel form the illustrations really help to convey emotion. I highly recommend the March series! I think you’d really enjoy reading them.
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Thank you 🙂
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That’s so amazing that you chose to read about the Civil Rights Movement for BHM. I love graphic novels so I’ll definitely be checking out March asap! And adding the other to my TBR, for sure! Awesome post!
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I’m so keen for March- it sounds like it’s so educational! Really great post!
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