Nickel Boys

 Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (2019), 224 pgs.

For a young, Black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, Elwood Curtis has a pretty good life--a grandmother who cares for him and a good job. He works toward an improved future for himself and his community, as he signs up to take advanced classes at the local college and participates in civil rights protests. This life that Elwood has set up for himself is completely upended when he is wrongfully incarcerated at Nickel Academy, a prison-like juvenile reformatory school. He befriends a fellow student named Turner who helps him make the best of a terrible situation, but Elwood soon realizes that this "school" is an institution of abuse and atrocities, the worst of which are inflicted upon Black students.

This book is haunting. The events of the story are horrifically reminiscent of real-life "reformatory academies" designed to abuse children of Color in the worst ways. Colson Whitehead crafts a somehow simultaneously subtle and overt condemnation of these institutions, through the switching perspectives of Elwood and Turner, both during and many years after the atrocities they experienced. Very well written and very heavy, with great characters and important perspective

John Lewis: A Life

John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg (2024) 696pp

A heart-rending biography of an iconic civil rights legend. It is very difficult to not write a hagiography of Lewis and Greenberg doesn’t hide his admiration, but at the same time he doesn’t ignore the difficult and at times wrongheaded decisions Lewis made during his life. The author does a yeoman’s job of laying out the early life and the harrowing later years Lewis lived through. To Greenberg’s credit he details the complexity of the civil rights movement and the raucous behind-the-scenes maneuvering inherent in such a monumental endeavor. One unfortunate incident is the struggle for the leadership of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). Lewis is blind-sided by militant activist Stokely Carmichael who wrests control of the organization during a late-night meeting. Years later after entering the political arena Lewis has another dreadful moment during the 2008 presidential primary between Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton. Lewis has a tight connection with the Clintons and endorses her – but backlash from constituents and the threat of a primary challenge to his Congressional seat force Lewis to awkwardly backtrack and switch sides. These two examples (among others) illustrate how hard it is to be an uncompromising human in a brutal dog-eat-dog world. Greenberg’s sympathetic yet critical biography is the perfect antidote for our tumultuous time.

MEM

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow (2018) 189 pages

Are you a fan of the Netflix series Black Mirror? You might like this. This short novel is set in the 1920s and doesn't feel as dystopian. A scientist has discovered a way for people to extract memories. The MEMs are zombie-like pale copies of the original person that just re-experience the emotional core of the memory until they expire. Except for Dolores Extract #1, who chooses the name Elsie to distinguish herself. She breaks all the rules by remembering all of her source's memories and has the unique ability to remember new experiences. Is she fully human? The mystery of her existence in a non-linear timeline with profound questions about identity, memory, and civil liberties are explored with much contemplation.
 

Profiles in Audacity

 

Profiles in Audacity: Great Decisions and How They were Made by Alan Axelrod 320 pp.

Forty-six profiles of the people and events in history that required audacious ideas/decisions are given in chapter length bites. A wide range of time periods are covered from Cleopatra's decision to rescue Egypt to the passengers of Flight 93 fighting the terrorists on board the plane on 9/11. In addition the subjects vary from military battles to world changing business decisions, humanitarian endeavors, exploration, and civil rights. It is a very mixed bag and I question the inclusion of a couple chapters which didn't seem as strong as the others. But as a whole it is an interesting collection of history making events and the people behind them.

Run: book one

 

Run: book one / John Lewis and Andrew Aydin ; art by L. Fury with Nate Powell, 152 pgs.

The first in a new series that follows the award winning "March," John Lewis continues telling his story in this graphic memoir. This volume takes the next time period of the civil rights movement in the 1960's after the passage of the Civil Rights Act.  This book shows there was the inevitable and natural conflict in the various groups and between the groups who were fighting for equality.  There is much history here and fabulous artwork. Powerful and recommended for anyone who enjoyed the previous series.

Drawing the vote

Drawing the vote: an illustrated guide to voting in America / Tommy Jenkins, Kati Lacker (ill), 208 pgs.

A little history, a little political science and a little contemporary guide, this graphic novel tells the story of voting in a simple and engaging way. They art really helps with a set of complex topics that are touched upon but leave you wanting more.  Not only the standard coverage, this book shows some of the historic events from a different perspective.  The focus here is on the value of voting as the core of democracy.

March: book three

March: book three / John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell, 246 pgs.

The third and final book in the trilogy is an award winner. As of this writing, it has won nine awards.  It probably deserves even more.  This book takes us through the civil rights struggle of John Lewis, participant.  Lewis headed up Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and worked hard around the south to combat racism and oppression.  After years that included multiple beatings, arrests and jail time, this book culminates with the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.  Of course, the struggle does not end there.  It is just shocking to read about the number of people killed during this time for participating in peaceful protest. This series should be required reading for anyone who wasn't around to witness these events.  And for those who did witness, read as a reminder to what has been accomplished and what still remains to be accomplished in this struggle.

March: book one

March: book one / John Lewis, Andrew Ayden, Nate Powell, 121 pgs.

Told in flashback, this graphic novel is a memoir of Congressman John Lewis' early life and the beginning of his civil rights activism.  Most poignant to me was the depiction of the training to become involved in the movement.  All demonstrations were to be non violent from the protester end.  Of course that did not mean there would be no violence inflicted upon them.  The group underwent training which included being insulted, spit on, and abused.  If you could not take the abuse, you could not join the sit-in.  Many people failed the training.

As someone who has been recently accused of being "all talk, no action," this first book in a trilogy gives a different perspective on Lewis' actions.

March: Books one, two, and three

March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, 121 pages

March: Book Two by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, 189 pages
March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, 246 pages

This award-winning three volume graphic lit series follows the Civil Rights Movement from the point of view of John Lewis, then a member and eventual chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). As part of SNCC, Lewis led sit-ins at lunch counters and restaurants throughout the south attempting to end discrimination at these eateries SNCC participants strove to remain calm and nonviolent despite violence visited upon them by whites and the police . The group organized the Freedom rides, and the Mississippi Freedom Summer, both of which again exposed members to beatings from angry white southerners and to frequent arrests.
SNCC was one of the big-six participating groups in the March on Washington of 1963, and Lewis spoke at the event.
Lewis and the artists who created these books have done an excellent job in telling this fascinating story.

The Last Mile

The Last Mile by David Baldacci  420 pp.

Former police officer, Amos Decker, introduced in Memory Man, suffers from hyperthymesia aka perfect recall and synesthesia which causes him to see certain past events as colors. Decker has become part of an FBI task force to work on unsolved crimes. After hearing a story on the radio about Melvin Mars, convicted of the murder of his parents and due to be executed when a death row inmate in another state confesses to the murders, Decker convinces the task force to investigate that case because he feels a strong connection to Mars, both because of being wrongly accused of the murder of his family as Decker once was, and because they each were college football champions with promising NFL careers. What is revealed in the investigation involves racially motivated crimes that took place before either man was born. The story is convoluted and is very far-fetched and often just "too much". But the characters are appealing and intriguing or despicable and evil. I like the Amos Decker character and hope to see more books about him.

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd  302 pp.

This was on my "one of these days I need to read that" list. In the early 1960s fourteen year old Lily runs away from her abusive father with Rosaleen, their housekeeper who is in trouble with the law after being beaten while trying to register to vote. Lily's mother died by Lily's hand in an accidental shooting when Lily was four. The only place she can connect to her mother is the town of Tiburon, South Carolina, the place that is written on the back of a Black Madonna picture that belonged to her mother. Lily ends up at the home of a family of black women beekeepers who teach her about life, love, the problems of southern African-Americans during the Civil Rights battles, standing up for oneself, and bees, of course. It's a good story although there were times when the predictability of the story nearly stopped me from reading it. 

God is Not a Christian

God is Not a Christian: And Other Provocations by Desmond Tutu  256 pp.

In 1993 I heard then Archbishop Tutu give a dynamic talk at the United Church of Christ International Synod in St. Louis. I have been enamored of this dynamic, if tiny, man ever since. This book is a collection of some of his most powerful speeches and sermons of the last 40 years. They include the apartheid struggle in South Africa, the fall of the Berlin wall, genocide in Rwanda, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and gay civil rights. The basis of all his writings is the philosophy of Ubuntu or the fact that every human being has worth. There's a lot to think about and applaud in this little book.

Gettysburg

Gettysburg: the Graphic Novel by C.M. Butzer  80 pp.

This brief graphic novel presents the basics about the Battle of Gettysburg, including the horrific death toll. It also shows the building and opening of the national cemetery that was completed in just a few months. The book ends with the opening ceremony for the cemetery and includes brief excerpts of the speech by former Secretary of State Edward Everett and the complete text of Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. The illustrations during a portion of the address include a "timeline" of different rights marches from the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, unions, the civil rights movement, the American Indian Movement, United Farm Workers, through gay rights. The author's notes in the back explain a little more about the battles, the construction of the memorial, and Lincoln's speech. This would be a useful resource for American History teachers.

The Help

The Help by Katheryn Stockett 444 pgs.

This is an awesome read and a real page turner. I listened to the audiobook last year which is really a delight, but I finally got the chance to read the book. The book is based in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement. It centers around the maids (the help) and the families they work for. The maids become brave and join together to start their own movement by reporting their stories of what it is like to be a maid in Jackson and what goes on in each of their employers homes. The book is real touching, and the maids decision of "coming out" with their stories forever changes the ways of Jackson, Mississippi and the way women view each other as far as black vs. white. This book is a book you wouldn't want to miss out on reading.

The Help

The Help/Kathryn Stockett 451 pg.

It is easy to see why this book has been so popular. Since I've worked at the library, this is the only time I've seen the number of holds c0ntinue to increase on a book. This is the story of Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's. It tells the story of 2 "domestics" and a young white woman who decides that their story needs to be told. Having never lived in the south I don't know if the voices in the book are accurate but they certainly ring true. I certainly get the feeling that this is an important book. - Christa