Customer Reviews

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement

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I don't like memoirs. They're usually self-serving, ego-driven and full of cheap shots. Walking With the Wind is none of those. John Lewis and his co-author have crafted a marvelously told tale of the civil rights movement. Perhaps no one but Lewis, King and Abernathy could write about the movement with this scope. Lewis was there for all of it, from jails, to voting, to sit-ins. And he describes it beautifully with the perfect pace.

I think the book's best chapters are the ones that cover what happened in Selma. I've read a half-dozen histories of the civil rights movement and none of them have recounted the Selma story better than Lewis does here.

Lewis also gives us insight into several other movement leaders. Not even Taylor Branch (the Pulitzer-winning historian and journalist) tells us about Jim Bevel with this much color. Lewis tells fascinating stories about Diane Nash, Stokely Carmichael and the relations between SNCC and the other movement-leading groups. It's the kind of inside baseball a good memoir delivers.

I'm thrilled that I read this book. It has greatly contributed to my understanding of the civil rights movement.

Uplifting. Eloquent. Brilliant. Inspiring. Patriotic.

John Lewis' life story is the story of a genuine American hero. The depth and strength of his moral conviction shows what character can accomplish. This book, just as this man's life, cannot be overrated or over-appreciated.

John Lewis, as a young man had the calling. His deeply religious upbringing ultimately led him to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and work with Rev. Martin Luther King. He sat in where Black people were not wanted. He demanded for Black people the rights to which all Americans have an expectation. He walked the walk at a time when it was not only unpopular, but downright death defying.

He moved from the pulpit to the halls of Congress, where he serves to this day.

As inspiring a work as I have ever read. Ought to be required reading by everyone in the Nation for a deeper understanding of the power of the American spirit.

John Lewis was seemingly everywhere during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. From the Nashville Sit-Ins, to the Freedom Rides to the famous march from Selma and more. It is akin to someone having been at the Boston Tea Party, Lexington and Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. Not only was Lewis there but he was an active participant, one of the many brave souls who risked injury, even death to bring down segregation. Lewis knew all the key figures in the Movement, such as Dr. King, and was a leader himself. Today, of course, Lewis serves his country in the House of Representatives.
It's hard to go wrong with such a compelling story to tell and Lewis doesn't dissapoint. With the help of co-author Michael D'Orso, we learn not only of one person's participation in the Civil Rights' Movement, but gain insight into the Movement as a whole.
Lewis is vastly under appreciated by Americans today. Hopefully Waking With the Wind will help future generations appreciate John Lewis, an American hero.

Each night I can't put "Walking With the Wind" down! Reading the autobiography of Congressman Lewis' life and work in the civil rights movement brought tears to my eyes and a heaviness of heart to realize that people hate their fellow man so much that they'd commit such acts of violence based solely on the way someone looks!

Whenever I read a book like this, I think to myself: "Thank God someone went before me because I couldn't have done it!" The tremendous amount of bravery these people had is so inspirational and heart wrenching! Not knowing your enemey is one thing, but these people knew the enemy and what they were capable of and yet, they still persevered and triumphed.

As an African American I am so proud of all those who sacrificed so very much, even sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Every American needs to realize the great courage these people exhibited to make this land a better place for us all.

John Lewis' focus in WALKING WITH THE WIND is on the civil rights movement based on his first-hand experience. He discusses the Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington and Selma. I have always admired the man for his consistency and courage.

Mr. Lewis is one of the rare individuals that does not view life "through the lens of race". He will call out Farrakhan and Khalid Muhammad just as quickly as George Wallace or Bull Conner. The list of politicians that will do that is very short.

Page 455: I've always believed that the only way we will ever move beyond the barriers of race is to stop seeing everything through that filter. We have to be fair, consistent and accountable to standards higher and more universal than what particular race, age, gender, community, culture or country each of us belongs to. There are standards of honest, decency an humanity that arch above all differences that keep us apart. To appeal to those differences only continues to polarize us.

This is a must read. JOHN LEWIS IS A GIANT!

The following is my review of the hardcover from the CNN website. "Walking With the Wind" holds up even better today. This is a must-read for those who are interested in the brave women and men who worked behind the scenes in the Civil Rights struggle.

Walking With the Wind by John Lewis
Review by Robert Nebel

(CNN) -- As a child, Georgia congressman John Lewis knew he was the "different seed" from the rest of his cotton farming family in 1940's Troy, Alabama. Like the orderly rows of cotton plants on the farm, Lewis felt his parents and siblings all too often "fell in line" and easily accepted the harsh Jim Crow segregation laws of the South. Even as a young boy, Lewis knew that he had to be the one to fall out of that orderly line and challenge the system -- a system that he felt kept those in his family and race from achieving their full potential.

Little did Lewis know that by being "the different seed" he would one day be at the forefront of changing America's attitude toward race relations. That theme plays throughout Lewis' autobiography, "Walking With The Wind".

Lewis starts out recounting a childhood filled with painful memories of separation, discrimination, degradation and isolation. Pages upon pages vividly describe separate facilities for African-Americans; violence against African-Americans; and southern legislators who were in cahoots with law enforcement officials who covered up countless wrongs against African-Americans.

Going against the advice of his parents, Lewis embarked on a journey of challenging Jim Crow laws and later, attitudes through non-violent protest. The peaceful protest ideas sprouted and came to fruition for Lewis when he was a student in Nashville during the 1950's. It was there where he applied the teachings of Ghandi and his mentor, Martin Luther King Jr., to his life of non-violence including sit-ins and marches. It was only fitting that Lewis joined the civil rights movement soon after the Brown versus the Board of Education Supreme Court decision that tore down the Jim Crow laws. Unfortunately, many Southern states refused to comply with this federal mandate. That was where Lewis' true work began -- by joining and later becoming chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

What sets "Walking With The Wind" apart from other civil rights stories is that it is not a rehash of the lives of the famous black leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson. This book brings the unsung heroes to the forefront of the Freedom Rides, Selma's Bloody Sunday, the 1963 March on Washington, and the voter registrations drives in Mississippi. Names such as Diane Nash of the SNCC, and Fannie Lou Hamer in Mississippi, are just a few of the African-Americans who put their lives on the line to guarantee future generations of minorities basic human rights.

What happened behind the scenes at the SNCC and the movement is the heart and soul of the book. While the students struggled with police brutality from the likes of Bull Connor in Alabama, there were ideological struggles between Lewis and his opposite, Stokely Carmichael. While Lewis was steeped in non-violence, Carmichael stirred up aggressive passions among the members. It was that internal struggle that came to a head and split Lewis away from the group.

While the post-1968 years in Lewis' autobiography are at times depressing, Lewis optimistically reminds readers that it was the SNCC's work that paved the way for the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voter's Rights Act. What is even more inspiring is Lewis' rise into the political arena.

It is truly amazing to read how Lewis came up through the ranks in city politics to his present position representing the fifth district in Georgia. Lewis still marches to his own beat as a legislator and is still a "different seed" in Congress. He opposed the Gulf War, welfare reform and the death penalty -- quite a split from the present administration.

"Walking With The Wind" should be an inspiration for any of today's youth who feel if society is short-changing them. The sit-ins, demonstrations and marches that Lewis participated in showed courage and honor that is absent in present times. ...

This was a required book for a class I'm taking on Religion and the Civil Rights Movement and this book has brought me to tears more than once. It's so beautifully written, with words that you can really feel coming from John Lewis. So many books feel like the children of editors more than writers, but this doesn't have that same feeling.

It's just... Words really fail. To read about the movement in some dry history book can be traumatic enough, but to really see and hear and FEEL the words of the people involved is just heartbreaking. It makes you wonder just how such injustice could possibly have survived and I've fallen in love with all of these brave, wonderful people who fought for thier right to be treated as human beings.

I really can't say enough wonderful things about this book. It's a powerful, meaningful read and I love it.

after reading this book i have a much different view of the civil rights era. Mr. Lewis has revealed a fascinating view of the times as well as of himself. i have read several books about the so-called civil rights era and this is at the top. what makes it so good is that it is balanced and honest. buy it and you won't be sorry. even if you don't give a darn about this point in history, this is a wonderful story about courageous people and turbulent times. Mr. Lewis does not try to elevate himself above the many faceless people who gave their energy and their lives for what they believed in. one of my all-time favorite books period. buy it, buy it, buy it!!!!

Words cannot express what this book has meant to me. It is both immensely deep and inspiring while feeling very intimate as if Mr. Lewis were right there telling you his story. Particularly interesting portrayal of the turbulent years after King's death. In spite of all the amazing accomplishments he has made, the book is very humble, and Mr. Lewis does not hesitate to discuss his own faults. Another aspect I particularly admire about this book is the relevance to the present day as Mr. Lewis explains how we can continue to work toward the dream of a beloved community.

Wow! What a book! I could not put it down. At the time, I was a college student and actively took part in the Civil Rights Movement. I participated in the marches and picketing in Columbia, South Carolina. In fact, one day during my freshman year, while we were out picketing, our dormitory was set ablaze. An act which was never solved by local police. Walking with the Wind, by John Lewis, gave me a visual insight into the Civil Rights Movement of things that happened behind the scenes, things of which I knew nothing about.
As I continue to tell my children and grandchildren about my participation in the Movement, this book will help to paint a picture which everyone can visualize and understand. Mr. Lewis' description of his family, and growing up in rural Alabama is almost a mirrow-image of mine growing up in rural South Carolina. I couldn't believe the similarities.
Hopefully, one day I shall get a chance to Meet John Lewis. That would make my day!

Mozelle Simmons Richmond