Carry On
Reflections for a New Generation
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5.0 • 5 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
*National Bestseller*
A brilliant and empowering collection of final reflections and words of wisdom from venerable civil rights champion, the late Congressman John Lewis at the end of his remarkable life.
Congressman John Lewis was a paragon of the Civil Rights Movement and political leadership for decades. A hero we won’t soon forget, Lewis was a beacon of hope and a model of humility whose invocation to “good trouble” continues to inspire millions across our nation. In his last months on earth, even while battling cancer, he dedicated time to share his memories, beliefs, and advice—exclusively immortalized in these pages—as a message to the generations to come.
Organized by topic ranging from justice, courage, faith, mentorship, and forgiveness to the protests and the pandemic, and many more besides, Carry On collects the late Congressman’s thoughts for readers to draw on whenever they are in need of guidance. John Lewis had great confidence in our future, even as he died in the midst of one of our country’s most challenging years to date. With this book, he performs that crucial passing of the baton, empowering us to live up to the legacy he has left us with his perseverance, dedication, profound insight, and unwavering ability to see the good in life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Late civil rights leader and Georgia congressman Lewis (Across That Bridge) offers advice for young activists in this wise and moving account written during the last months of his life. In a series of brief meditations on such topics as spirituality, faith, and character, Lewis (1940–2020) stresses the importance of both having and being a mentor and draws from his experiences growing up in Alabama during the Jim Crow era to inspire readers toward hope. He recalls, for instance, that he couldn't get a library card at age 16 because he was Black; after the publication of his autobiography in 2012, he was invited to give a reading at the same Alabama library he visited as a teenager, and finally got his library card. Throughout, Lewis reflects on his work in the civil rights movement, stressing the importance of nonviolent protest, and his career in Congress, where he opposed his own party's position on the Defense of Marriage Act and the 1994 crime bill ("In the end, I listened to the voice within"). The book's conversational tone and brisk history lessons make it accessible to readers of all ages. The result is a winning introduction to the man and his philosophies of life.
Customer Reviews
One word….Inspirational!!
The values, hopes and dreams that our ancestors dreamed about for our generation and that of our grandchildren’s generations are closer than ever and can be felt with each word read in this book. The struggles were painstakingly real, but the love, words and wisdom for humanity by Mr Lewis gives inspiration to what one can be to oneself, neighbors, country and generations to come.