John Lewis : in search of the beloved community / Raymond Arsenault.

By:

Arsenault, Raymond

Material type: Text

text

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

9780300253757
0300253753

Other title:

In search of the beloved community

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

DDC classification:

328.73/092 23

LOC classification:

E840.8.L43 A735 2024

NLM classification:

E 840.8.L43

Contents:

Introduction: In search of the beloved community -- "The boy from Troy" -- Nashville -- In the movement -- Riding to freedom -- Mississippi bound -- SNCC on the march -- "Bombingham" and freedom summer -- Atlantic City and Africa -- Selma and bloody Sunday -- Leaving SNCC -- Transition and tragedy -- Voting rights and the new south -- Sweet home Atlanta -- Mr. Lewis goes to Washington -- Keeping the dream alive -- Politics and remembrance -- The conscience of Congress -- Good trouble -- Perilous times -- Epilogue.

Summary: The first full-length biography of civil rights hero and congressman John Lewis.Summary: "For six decades John Robert Lewis (1940-2020) was a towering figure in the U.S. struggle for civil rights. As an activist and progressive congressman, he was renowned for his unshakable integrity, indomitable courage, and determination to get into "good trouble." In this first book-length biography of Lewis, Raymond Arsenault traces Lewis's upbringing in rural Alabama, his activism as a Freedom Rider and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, his championing of voting rights and anti-poverty initiatives, and his decades of service as the "conscience of Congress." Arsenault recounts Lewis's lifetime of work toward one overarching goal: realizing the "beloved community," an ideal society based in equity and inclusion. Lewis never wavered in this pursuit, and even in death his influence endures, inspiring mobilization and resistance in the fight for social justice."-- adapted from dust jacket.

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Adult Non-Fiction	New Books	328.73092 ARS	Available		36748002551580

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The first full-length biography of civil rights hero and congressman John Lewis

"The perfect book, at the right time."--Michael Henry Adams, The Guardian

For six decades John Robert Lewis (1940-2020) was a towering figure in the U.S. struggle for civil rights. As an activist and progressive congressman, he was renowned for his unshakable integrity, indomitable courage, and determination to get into "good trouble."

In this first book-length biography of Lewis, Raymond Arsenault traces Lewis's upbringing in rural Alabama, his activism as a Freedom Rider and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, his championing of voting rights and anti-poverty initiatives, and his decades of service as the "conscience of Congress."

Both in the streets and in Congress, Lewis promoted a philosophy of nonviolence to bring about change. He helped the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders plan the 1963 March on Washington, where he spoke at the Lincoln Memorial. Lewis's activism led to repeated arrests and beatings, most notably when he suffered a skull fracture in Selma, Alabama, during the 1965 police attack later known as Bloody Sunday. He was instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and in Congress he advocated for racial and economic justice, immigration reform, LGBTQ rights, and national health care.

Arsenault recounts Lewis's lifetime of work toward one overarching goal: realizing the "beloved community," an ideal society based in equity and inclusion. Lewis never wavered in this pursuit, and even in death his influence endures, inspiring mobilization and resistance in the fight for social justice.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The first full-length biography of civil rights hero and congressman John Lewis.

"For six decades John Robert Lewis (1940-2020) was a towering figure in the U.S. struggle for civil rights. As an activist and progressive congressman, he was renowned for his unshakable integrity, indomitable courage, and determination to get into "good trouble." In this first book-length biography of Lewis, Raymond Arsenault traces Lewis's upbringing in rural Alabama, his activism as a Freedom Rider and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, his championing of voting rights and anti-poverty initiatives, and his decades of service as the "conscience of Congress." Arsenault recounts Lewis's lifetime of work toward one overarching goal: realizing the "beloved community," an ideal society based in equity and inclusion. Lewis never wavered in this pursuit, and even in death his influence endures, inspiring mobilization and resistance in the fight for social justice."-- adapted from dust jacket.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Preface (ix)
Abbreviations (xv)
Introduction. In Search of the Beloved Community (1)
Chapter 1 "The Boy from Troy" (10)
Chapter 2 Nashville (33)
Chapter 3 In the Movement (61)
Chapter 4 Riding to Freedom (86)
Chapter 5 Mississippi Bound (114)
Chapter 6 SNCC on the March (152)
Chapter 7 "Bombingham" and Freedom Summer (181)
Chapter 8 Atlantic City and Africa (202)
Chapter 9 Selma and Bloody Sunday (220)
Chapter 10 Leaving SNCC (247)
Chapter 11 Transition and Tragedy (264)
Chapter 12 Voting Rights and the New South (278)
Chapter 13 Sweet Home Atlanta (296)
Chapter 14 Mr. Lewis Goes to Washington (310)
Chapter 15 Keeping the Dream Alive (327)
Chapter 16 Politics and Remembrance (350)
Chapter 17 The Conscience of Congress (368)
Chapter 18 Good Trouble (402)
Chapter 19 Perilous Times (426)
Epilogue (446)
Notes (457)
Note On Sources (511)
Acknowledgments (515)
Index (519)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

A comprehensive biography of the Civil Rights leader and legislator. A telling anecdote comes early in Arsenault's life of John Lewis (1940-2020), when he traveled to the Capitol to fundraise for a Freedom Rides Museum. Lewis kept the delegation waiting for an hour because he had promised to discuss Civil Rights history with a high school student from Ohio: "The day's schedule had gotten backed up, but Lewis was not about to short-change the boy." Though Lewis became a luminary late in life, his early years were marked by struggle: He was hounded as both a radical and an idealist, and he bore the scars to prove it. One perhaps surprising revelation is the significant divisions within the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr. may be remembered as the iconic leader, but his leadership was heavily contested, and Lewis himself became alienated from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee over the phrase "Black Power." Said Lewis, "As an organization we don't believe in slogans. We believe in programs." After the police riot at the Edmund Pettus Bridge--now meaningfully renamed the John Lewis Bridge--in Selma, Alabama, the movement turned away from Lewis' message of peaceful resistance, but he kept pushing. As Arsenault writes, one reward for his ceaseless efforts was the election of Barack Obama, whom he supported after turning away from old ally Hillary Clinton because of her support of the Iraq War. At the end of his life, Lewis, always inclined to try to find the good in even his fiercest opponents, saw Civil Rights take a giant step backward with the election of Donald Trump: upon Lewis' death, the "only major Republican officeholder to withhold praise for the man others mourned as an American hero." An exemplary biography of an exemplary person, essential to the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.