March: Book One by John Lewis

March: Book One by John Lewis

March #1, 128 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Book One spans John Lewis' youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.

Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1950s comic book Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story. Now, his own comics bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 3: Masters of History by Yuval Noah Harari

 

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 3: Masters of History

2024 | 288 Pages

Summary: This third volume of the illustrated adaptation of the internationally bestselling phenomenon, Sapiens: A Graphic History—The Masters of History, tackles the question of the driving force of humanity’s fate: is it empire, money, religion—or something else entirely—that unites us?

Sometimes history seems like a laundry list of malevolent monarchs, pompous presidents and dastardly dictators. But are they really the ones in the driving seat? Sapiens: A Graphic History—The Masters of History takes us on an immersive and hilarious ride through the human past to discover the forces that change our world, bring us together, and just as often... tear us apart.

Grab a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth, and explore the rise of money, religion and empire. Join our fabulous host Heroda Tush, as she wonders: Which historical superhero will display the power to make civilizations rise and fall? Will Mr. Random prove that luck and circumstance prevail? Will Lady Empire convince us of the irrefutable shaping force of conquerors? Or will Clashwoman beat them all to greatness by reminding us of the endless confrontations that seem to forever plague our species?

In this next volume of the bestselling graphic series, Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave continue to present the complicated story of humankind with wit, empathy and originality. Alongside the unlikely cast of new characters, we are rejoined by the familiar faces of Yuval, Zoe, Professor Saraswati, Bill and Cindy (now Romans), Skyman and Captain Dollar. As they travel through time, space and human drama in search of truth, it's impossible not to wonder: why can’t we all just get along?

This third installment in the Sapiens: A Graphic History series is an engaging, insightful, and colorful retelling of the story of humankind for curious minds of all ages, and can be browsed through on its own or read in sequence with Volumes One and Two.

Review: Even though I did read all of the volumes, I can definitely see how they could be read as standalones as well which is such a nice perk if your historical interests are centered on certain subjects. My own interests had me more fascinated in volume one and three than in two even if all were highly enjoyable reads and I've learned a lot from them all. Volume three does a fantastic job in getting the reader thinking differently about some of the topics we learned about in history class in a much more entertaining and endearing way than an old textbook could. I highly recommend the whole series of these graphic novels for any history enjoyers out there! Its got so much to say.

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century Graphic Edition by Timothy Snyder and Nora Krug

 On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century Graphic Edition by Timothy Snyder and Nora Krug-128 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've heard a lot about this book and its lessons. I saw this at the bookstore and decided to give it a read. It is a very powerful call to resist tyranny. It is a manual on how to spot the signs of tyranny and how one can do one's part to resist. The lessons are very practical and simple to follow. I have already been doing some of these things, but I plan to do all of these. 

I would recommend that anyone who is concerned about tyranny to read this book, whether the graphic edition or the first print edition. 

Elegy for Mary Turner: An Illustrated Account of a Lynching by Rachel Marie-Crane Williams

Elegy for Mary Turner: An Illustrated Account of a Lynching by Rachel Marie-Crane Williams-57 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I very recently learned about the lynching of Hayes and Mary Turner. It is a profoundly sad and infuriating moment from history. The author powerfully illustrates the history of the lynchings following the murder of Hampton Smith. He was a local farmer who employed many blacks who owed court debts for various small crimes. He was a cruel man and treated his employees like indentured servants. One of his employees had had enough of him and murdered him. A lynching mob was formed of local white men and proceeded to go on a rampage. The mob lynched several black men and one black woman in retaliation for Hampton Smith's murder. One of the black men was Hayes Turner who had worked for Smith, but there was no evidence tying him to the murder. They lynched him despite the absence of evidence. Hayes' wife called out the mob's actions the next day (May 20, 1918). In retaliation, the mob decided to make an example of her and decided to lynch her, too, that same night. She was brutally murdered (I won't go into gory detail. I encourage you to read the book.) and so was her baby (she was 8 months pregnant). The NAACP spearheaded an investigation and was given names of those in the mob. However, no one was ever charged or arrested in connection with the lynchings. A tablet was erected to memorialize Mary Turner in 2020, but it was vandalized, so they took it down and put a cross there instead. 

I have a degree in Historic Preservation and a keen interest in history (especially American History during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era). I am very aware that lynchings like this took place, but I only recently learned of this specific instance, as mentioned earlier. I am appalled and infuriated by these events and even more appalled that most (if not all) lynching victims never got justice. In many (if not all) cases no one was ever charged for these murders. Thousands of mostly blacks were lynched from the 1880s to the mid 20th Century. This is a short, but powerful book on a harrowing story from May, 1918 in Georgia. 

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization by Yuval Noah Harari

 

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization

256 Pages | 2021

Summary: This second volume of Sapiens: A Graphic History, the full-color graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari’s #1 New York Times bestseller, focuses on the Agricultural Revolution—when humans fell into a trap we’ve yet to escape: working harder and harder with diminishing returns.

What if humanity’s major woes—war, plague, famine and inequality—originated 12,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens converted from nomads to settlers, in pursuit of the fantasy of productivity and efficiency? What if by seeking to control plants and animals, humans ended up being controlled by kings, priests, and Kafkaesque bureaucracy? Volume 2 of Sapiens: A Graphic History–The Pillars of Civilization explores a crucial chapter in human development: the Agricultural Revolution. This is the story of how wheat took over the world; how an unlikely marriage between a god and a bureaucrat created the first empires; and how war, plague, famine, and inequality became an intractable feature of the human condition.

But it’s not all doom and gloom with this book’s cast of entertaining characters and colorful humorous scenes. Yuval, Zoe, Prof. Saraswati, Cindy and Bill (now farmers), Detective Lopez, and Dr. Fiction, all introduced in Volume 1, once again travel the length and breadth of human history, this time investigating the impact the Agricultural Revolution has had on our species. The cunning Mephisto shows them how to ensnare humans, King Hammurabi lays down the law, and Confucius explains harmonious society. The origins of modern farming are introduced through Elizabethan tragedy; the changing fortunes of domesticated plants and animals are tracked in the columns of the Daily Business News; the story of urbanization is portrayed as a travel brochure, offering discount journeys to ancient Babylon and China; and the history of inequality unfolds in a superhero detective story; with guest appearances by historical and cultural personalities throughout such as Thomas Jefferson, Scarlett O'Hara, Margaret Thatcher, and John Lennon. (Courtesy of Amazon)

Review: Just like volume 1, volume 2 was a very mind opening take of early human history as we learned to build civilizations and move away from the hunter-gatherer phase of our existence. The author makes you consider both the advantages and disadvantages to human kind moving forward in this way with the knowledge of how we live today naturally on your mind. If you want a different take to history as it is (and a more fun one), this book is the one for you!

Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind (Vol. 1)

 

248 pages | 2020

Summary: From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”

One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?

Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.

Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?

Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem. (Courtesy of Amazon)

Review: This graphic novel is the size of a textbook, but it is so much more entertaining when relaying both scientifical and historic facts than usual learning methods. This is a great graphic novel and an incredibly well-constructed read. It really helps the reader absorb the information where in a textbook you may simply find yourself drifting or losing focus. I highly recommend this to history lovers!