Year 4, week 45: His Truth Is Marching On

This week's book:
His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope
By Jon Meacham

"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America."
— Lewis speaking atop the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 1, 2020

This week’s book was for the book group I run. This book was actually one of my favorites that we read for 2021. The book was about U.S. Representative John Lewis and his work during the civil rights movement. It was so well written and was so educational about the civil rights movement while telling Lewis’ life story. 

You might know his name from Bloody Sunday, the march in Selma that turned so violent. Lewis actually wrote three graphic novels about the march in Selma. Or maybe you know him as one of the leaders of the march on Washington, or maybe his political work. He was a congressman in Georgia and a minister. He was a man of faith and was willing to do the work to help make changes. His faith was so deep with hope that the world could be a better place. The world needs more people that are just good humans. He was a spiritual man and would keep his cool while being arrested, physically assaultedm and abused for the cause he believed in. 

Before this book, all I knew was that he was the young man at Selma and he was one of Dr. Martin Luther King’s confidants. I also knew he rallied the south to get out to vote in my recent memory. A lot of people put Lewis up on a pedestal because of his peace and patience, but he was the first to admit he was not perfect. He said he was quick to anger and that no one is perfect. One of my favorite quotes he said about Dr. King and himself was “The difference between saint and savior is that a saint is not perfect.” 

One of the reasons that I enjoyed this book so much was that it came out before he passed away in 2020. The author even had Lewis write the afterword for the book. It always means so much more when the person is able to tell their story in their own words. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone to read.