Across That Bridge
A Vision for Change and the Future of America
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4.7 • 54 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work/Biography -- in paperback for the first time.
In turbulent times Americans look to the Civil Rights Movement as the apotheosis of political expression. As we confront questions of social inequality there's no better time to revisit the lessons of the '60s and no better leader to learn from than Congressman John Lewis.
In Across That Bridge, Congressman Lewis draws from his experience as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement to offer timeless guidance to anyone seeking to live virtuously and transform the world. His wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful ideas will inspire a new generation to usher in a freer, more peaceful society. The Civil Rights Movement gave rise to the protest culture we know today, and the experiences of leaders like Congressman Lewis have never been more relevant.
Now featuring an updated introduction from the author addressing the current administration, Across that Bridge offers a strong and moral voice to guide our nation through an era of great uncertainty.
"The most important lesson I have learned in the fifty years I have spent working toward the building of a better world is that the true work of social transformation starts within. It begins inside your own heart and mind, because the battleground of human transformation is really, more than any other thing, the struggle within the human consciousness to believe and accept what is true. Thus to truly revolutionize our society, we must first revolutionize ourselves. We must be the change we seek if we are to effectively demand transformation from others." ---John Lewis in Across That Bridge
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Congressman John Lewis’ powerful call to action seems to grow more relevant with each passing year. In this short, engaging book, the civil-rights hero explains his philosophy of nonviolent activism, focusing on strong ideals like faith, patience, and diligent study. With his penetrating insights on the struggle for racial equality in the ’60s and beyond, Lewis provides a vital context for why the fight is so important and so far from over. What we love most about Across That Bridge is that it’s both tremendously inspiring and extremely practical, full of real-world advice about enacting change through grassroots cooperation. Lewis knew more than most about taking to the street in protest—that iconic backpack he wore on the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge wasn’t a fashion statement, it held water, snacks, and a book he could read while in jail! We wore out our highlight function on this astute how-to guide. Every sentence reveals wisdom about getting into the kind of good, necessary trouble Lewis modeled for us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Faith, patience, truth, love, peace, study, and reconciliation: these are the buckets into which Lewis pours his message about "the inner transformation that must be realized to effect lasting social change." A civil rights pioneer and Georgia congressman, Lewis (Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement) seeks to inspire nonviolent activism in a time that he regards as the most violent in history. For his audience, Lewis targets Occupy protestors, and members of the movement will draw lessons from the anecdotes that are the heart of the book. At its best, the book provides a testament to the power of nonviolence in social movements, with moving personal accounts of the Freedom Rides, such as when Lewis describes being physically beaten in South Carolina or sitting out a 40-day sentence in the unrelenting Parchman Farm prison in Mississippi. At its worst, it resembles an extended campaign speech: "Some people have told me that I am a rare bird in the blue sky of dreamers... despite every attempt to keep me down, I have not been shaken." In between these extremes is the advice of a wise uncle who has earned the right to say his peace.
Customer Reviews
Courageous and insightful.
John reveals the embodiment of walking in love, loving your enemies, and loving your neighbor as yourself. This gave me insights about the inner workings of one involved in the Civil Rights Movement, revealing a deeper mode of operating and the depth of spirituality that a number of folks in the movement possessed. John was a brave man.