Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring continuation of Rep. John Lewis' biography.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As RUN: BOOK ONE opens, John Lewis and his allies are buoyed by the passage of 1965's Voting Rights Act, But in the segregated South, the Ku Klux Klan is as strong as ever, and police everywhere are racist and quick to fire a gun. As chairman of the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee, Lewis feels the urgency of his activism, but he is slow to ally with Black Panthers and the Black Power Movement. As the Vietnam War rages, Lewis must decide how to marshal the electoral power to fight the supporters of white supremacy.
Is It Any Good?
Graphic novels can often strike right at the heart of a complex situation, and that's certainly the case with his hard-hitting memoir. Young John Lewis puts himself in the middle of history-making moments. In Run: Book One, Lewis and his collaborators tell a more subtle story, focusing on political maneuvering within the civil rights movement itself, and so may not hold the attention of younger readers. As the United States barrels toward the upheavals of 1968 and onward, Run shows Lewis at a crucial turning point, personally and professionally. Students of dramatic history will not want to miss this installment of an impassioned and important memoir.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Run depicts of the Civil Rights movement. Why was the subject of segregation so volatile? Is segregation practiced at all today?
Why is nonviolence an effective method of protest? Is violence ever unquestionably needed?
What are the connections between the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Illustrator : Nate Powell
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Activism , History
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : Abrams
- Publication date : August 18, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 152
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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