John Lewis, Raymond Arsenault
John Lewis, Raymond Arsenault
List: $29.99 | Sale: $21.00
Club: $14.99

John Lewis
In Search of the Beloved Community

Author: Raymond Arsenault

Narrator: Jaime Lincoln Smith

Unabridged: 17 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/30/2024


Synopsis

For six decades John Robert Lewis 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 biography of Lewis, Raymond Arsenault traces Lewis's upbringing in rural Alabama, his activism, 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. He was instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and 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 resistance in the fight for social justice.

About Raymond Arsenault

Raymond Arsenault is the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History Emeritus at the University of South Florida. He is the author of several award-winning books on civil rights history, including Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice; The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Concert That Awakened America; and Arthur Ashe: A Life.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dona's on October 01, 2024

I learned so much from this book, but it's not well organized, so it's a slog. Full review: "Hands that picked cotton, now can pick our elected officials."(From a poster made for a get out the vote drive spearheaded by John Lewis.) (11:13:00) Several of Lewis's friends urged him to run for mayor, but......more

Goodreads review by Steven on August 21, 2024

If you ever wanted to know what type of man John Lewis was, all you have to do is ask someone from the other side of the political aisle what their opinion is of him. In this case I would point to someone who disagreed with Lewis about every conceivable issue – former North Carolina Congressman and......more

Goodreads review by Andy on June 10, 2024

John Lewis is one of the most remarkable men of our time and this biography reflects that. Lewis is well known for his personal courage; he continued with the Freedom Rides after being beaten knowing that he would be beaten again, he was seriously injured on Bloody Sunday but that did not stop him f......more

Goodreads review by Peg on February 10, 2024

I was thrilled to see the publication of an extensive biography of John Lewis, and there are some wonderful anecdotes preserved in it. It really needed a more careful fact-checking scrub, though, especially in relation to its narration of Congressman Lewis’ career in the House. Lots of sloppy small......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on February 08, 2024

I love John Lewis and his autobiography, Walking with the Wind. It is one of my favorite books. This new book is a good follow up to that book. It focuses on Lewis’ public life and fills in a lot of the gaps in the years since his 1998 memoir was published.......more