Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Starred Review Opening with the bombing of the Birmingham Baptist Church, this concluding volume in Lewis, Aydin, and Powell's critically acclaimed series highlights the growing violence and tensions among activists in the civil rights movement leading up to Freedom Summer and Johnson's eventual signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As protests and marches d sometimes merely being black Alabama became increasingly dangerous, opinions among activists in the movement were divided. Continue to march and risk serious harm? Or put their trust in white leaders who were only willing to meet them partway? Though Lewis and Aydin throw a lot at readers in this volume, their message, helped along seamlessly and splendidly by Powell's fantastic, cinematic artwork, is abundantly clear: the victories of the civil rights movement, symbolized in particular by Barack Obama's inauguration, are hard-won and only succeeded through the dogged dedication of a wide variety of people. Perhaps the greatest strength of this last volume is that, despite closing pages during which Lewis suggests the movement is over, the chilling similarities between the violent political atmosphere more than 50 years ago and today remind readers that the drive for justice and equality is ongoing. It's a stirring call to action that's particularly timely in this election year, and one that will resonate and empower young readers in particular. Essential reading.

Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

This final volume includes the expected and necessary set pieces from the civil rights movement, culminating, finally, with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But the smaller, lesser-known moments of violence, injustice, and helplessness are no less painful than these major events to read about, and Lewis recalls them with intimate familiarity and bracing honesty. Powell's kinetic, fluid black-and-white illustrations underscore the period's brutality.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The final volume of congressman and civil rights crusader Lewis-s memoir, produced with cowriter Aydin, gives a perfect balance of clarity and passion, drawing readers into the emotions of civil rights struggles, while carefully providing context and information, as well as empathy, even for the worst of the movement-s foes. Beginning with the church bombing at Birmingham, Ala.; moving through the blood-soaked years from 1963 to 1965; and ending with the signing of the Voting Rights Act, Lewis-s on-the-ground viewpoint puts many human faces on the historic battles. The narrative reveals the real work of revolution, focusing not just on the well-known events but the behind-the-scenes decision making, compromises, personal battles, sacrifices, and overall political landscape. It-s a dense and informative work propelled by Powell-s fluid layouts and vivid depictions of violence and emotion, as well as a personal passion that helps make this memoir timely and relevant, drawing a straight line between decades to compare the modern iterations of a struggle that still continues. (Aug.)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 8 Up-In the final installment in the trilogy, Congressman Lewis concludes his firsthand account of the civil rights era. Simultaneously epic and intimate, this dynamic work spotlights pivotal moments (the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL; the Freedom Summer murders; the 1964 Democratic National Convention; and the Selma to Montgomery marches) through the lens of one who was there from the beginning. Lewis's willingness to speak from the heart about moments of doubt and anguish imbues the book with emotional depth. Complex material is tackled but never oversimplifiedmany pages are positively crammed with textand, as in previous volumes, discussion of tensions among the various factions of the movement adds nuance and should spark conversation among readers. Through images of steely-eyed police, motion lines, and the use of stark black backgrounds for particularly painful moments, Powell underscores Lewis's statement that he and his cohorts "were in the middle of a war." These vivid black-and-white visuals soar, conveying expressions of hope, scorn, and devastation and making storied figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Fannie Lou Hamer feel three-dimensional and familiar. VERDICT This essential addition to graphic novel shelves, history curricula, and memoir collections will resonate with teens and adults alike. Mahnaz Dar , School Library Journal