I am not a usual reader of graphic novels (as I have probably revealed here before), but my son is - and in my attempt to understand his obsession, from time-to-time, I try to pick up one of my own. March has received a lot of attention - and rightfully so. It is the story of Congressmen John Lewis's experience as a critical part of the Civil Rights Movement. While this is a story that most of us know on some level - I was blown away by how powerful seeing/reading it in this format was. It's absolutely true that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think seeing the illustrations (like seeing actual photographs from the time) really brought home for me just how brave the people were who organized, marched, and literally put their lives on the line to fight for civil rights. I took my son to the Comic Book Museum in San Francisco earlier this year - he wanted to see an exhibit on Raina Telgemeier - but there was also an exhibit there about March - and how it came to be in graphic novel form - both in terms of getting the story told, and in the development of the illustrations. It sparked wonderful conversation between me and my son, both for him to learn a bit about this important piece of our history, and in a shared appreciation for this storytelling form.
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