Review: Run Book One by John Lewis
I loved the March trilogy and have been excited about starting the Run books since I found out about them. I have read one of Lewis's traditionally written memoirs in addition to the March series.
This book begins with a note that Lewis gave his final approval on most of the finished pages in this book before his death, I thought that transparency was a great place to begin the book.
The book is truly a physically beautiful object. The book feels nice to hold, the paper is thick, the design of the book's case is excellent. Top-notch book design. The art is just as beautiful as the art in the March series.
I really was fascinated by this book's focus on the transition period between Lewis as Chairman of SNCC and where we eventually know him to end up. I thought seeing, from his point of view, the ways SNCC changed and the fact that he no longer fit there was an engaging choice. I liked seeing the ways his desire started to slowly conflict with his environment in a really nuanced way. I liked seeing the way Lewis thought about his own trajectory into public office, how the reader is shown the different avenues available, and clearly understands the thought process and life experiences that lead Lewis into public services at a federal level.
My only complaint about the book is that in the beginning I sometimes felt like I needed more context to understand some aspects of the narrative progression. I got a tad hazy and I wanted a bit more time spent, outside of the excellent index, explaining the events that eventually lead Lewis to leave SNCC. But by the time I reached the middle of the story I was very much engaged and understanding what was going on and where the story was heading.
The end of this book is really excellent. I like the moment of action the book leaves off on. It was very much a moment of change and got me really excited for the rest of this series.
Run is a great graphic memoir. I love the accessibility of the format and that the book still conveys Lewis' thoughts and feelings about the events of his life without pulling the pace to a halt. This is just generally an excellent memoir series.
