John Lewis's memoir, "Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement," offers a gripping and intimate account of his experiences during the civil rights movement. Through detailed narratives of his involvement in key events like the Freedom Rides and the Selma to Montgomery marches, Lewis puts the reader in the midst of the action, shedding light on the internal rifts and alliances within the movement. The book delves into Lewis's personal journey from a son of sharecroppers in Alabama to a prominent figure in the struggle for equal rights, highlighting his encounters with segregationists like Eugene Bull Connor and his unwavering commitment to nonviolent activism.
The writing style in "Walking with the Wind" is described as intimate, introspective, and poetic at times, offering a unique perspective on the civil rights movement through Lewis's eyes. Readers are provided with a deep insight into Lewis's motivations, values, and experiences, as he navigates through the challenges and triumphs of fighting for social change in a racially divided America.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include discussions of systemic racism, violence against protesters, and descriptions of traumatic events associated with the Civil Rights Movement.
From The Publisher:
An award-winning national bestseller, Walking with the Wind is one of our most important records of the American Civil Rights Movement. Told by John Lewis, who Cornel West calls a "national treasure," this is a gripping first-hand account of the fight for civil rights and the courage it takes to change a nation.
In 1957, a teenaged boy named John Lewis left a cotton farm in Alabama for Nashville, the epicenter of the struggle for civil rights in America. Lewis's adherence to nonviolence guided that critical time and established him as one of the movement's most charismatic and courageous leaders. Lewis's leadership in the Nashville Movement-a student-led effort to desegregate the city of Nashville using sit-in techniques based on the teachings of Gandhi-set the tone for major civil rights campaigns of the 1960s. Lewis traces his role in the pivotal Selma marches, Bloody Sunday, and the Freedom Rides. Inspired by his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lewis's vision and perseverance altered history. In 1986, he ran and won a congressional seat in Georgia, and remains in office to this day, continuing to enact change.
The late Edward M. Kennedy said of Lewis, "John tells it like it was…Lewis spent most of his life walking against the wind of the times, but he was surely walking with the wind of history."
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About the Author:
John Lewis was the US Representative for Georgia's fifth district, a position he has held since 1987. He passed away in 2020.
Michael D'Orso is the author of sixteen books, which include Oceana, Plundering Paradise, and The Cost of Courage. His work has been featured or reviewed in The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and other publications.
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