David greenberg author biography for book

I so wish I had had the opportunity to meet him. I know when I was finished [after having a good ugly cry], I was ready to 'fight' again and get in some "Good Trouble". As we all fight the fight for democracy, freedom, Civil Rights and everything else that is going to come at us, let us all remember the spirit of John Lewis and do him proud. Michael Tiger.

John Lewis is a treasure to humanity. If you're knowledgeable about his accomplishments, the book will help you appreciate the strength and authenticity of the man. If you're not familiar with Lewis, this book is a great opportunity to meet a remarkable leader who has shaped history. Well written and well researched. Greenberg, you had a difficult task in writing this book and doing justice to such an amazing man.

You certainly rose to the occasion! Adam Shields. Summary: How do you summarize a life like John Lewis'? I am not new to the story of John Lewis, but this was the first full-length biography I have read about John Lewis. I have previously read the graphic novels The March Trilogy and Run and the short biography by Jon Meachamas well as watching the documentary Good Trouble.

And Lewis figures prominently in many biographiesmemoirs, and Civil Rights era histories. But I had not read a full-length biography. David Greenberg has previously written biographies of Nixon and Coolidge and two books about the presidency. This is a biography that used hundreds of interviews and personal papers. And I think perhaps most interesting to me is that the biography was only half finished when Lewis was ousted from SNCC.

The main difference is that everything I have previously watched or read primarily focused on Lewis' early civil rights work prior to leaving SNCC. The movement to which he had devoted his adult life was veering away from the ideals that had animated it. To remain in the struggle, he would have to find another path. He was a leader of the Nashville Student Movement before he was He was one of the speakers at the March on Washington when he was Everything I had previously read about Lewis was how his orientation toward a belief in nonviolence as a principle, not just a strategy paired with his maturity as a young man.

He was not inclined to date or drink or parties, but he did draw people to him. That early fame did not just lead to an easy later life. He successfully led the Voter Education Project for seven years. Under his leadership, VEP registered more than 4 million people. He also served for short periods for a foundation and then in the Carter administration supervising the VISTA program.

Lillian was a librarian and an important figure in his later life. But they spent significant time apart. Lewis was used to traveling with his work for SNCC and continued to david greenberg author biography for book for his various jobs. InLewis first ran for Congress but lost the primary. Over the next year, there were many changes. He had resigned from the VEP to run for Congress.

The couple had adopted a son in May In July he was confirmed by the Senate. Lillian and their son did not move to Washington DC with him. Lewis did not agree with Carter on many issues and resigned before the end of Carter's term and ran for Atlanta city council. The city council job was officially part-time with part-time pay. And they lived mostly on Lillian's salary as a librarian.

Lewis served in the city council for seven years, primarily acting as a conscious against corruption and against development projects that would break apart communities. This included opposition to the original plans for the Carter Center. That was a brutal campaign, one that split the friends for the rest of their lives. But Lewis won and served the rest of his life in Congress rising to senior leadership within the Democratic delegation.

Part of what I appreciate is that while Lewis is honored in the book, he is not lionized inappropriately. He had weaknesses. He maintained his position as conscious of Congress, he took difficult stands, and not all of them were wise stands looking back on history. He had weaknesses as a leader and manager. But he was not prone to some of the ways that leadership, power, and money tend to become a problem for many.

He was still largely an everyman, even as his fame grew in later years. The March Trilogy and earlier books that he worked on usually with a secondary author who primarily did the writing increased his fame. Because so many civil rights era figures passed away young, either from violence or health issues that were often impacted by stress and violence, Lewis became not just a figure of history for the civil rights movement, but also a visible symbol of the movement.

Lewis' work to commemorate the Selma March, including bringing annual delegations from Congress to the march, and his work to get the African American History Museum approved and built were some of the most significant work he did while in Congress. Lewis used his history to remind Congress and the country of the struggle for equality that was not so long ago.

I think the most significant weakness of the book was a lack of attention to his faith and the way it shaped his life and thinking. Greenberg does not ignore Lewis' faith, but it isn't a significant theme of the book. Jaime Dickerson. Just wow. John Lewis was a giant, a hero, a beautiful human being. Lewis was courageous, principled, compassionate, and steadfast in his belief that every person is valuable and important.

I love this book and was genuinely sorry when I reached the last page. Are you discouraged by the tone of public discourse and the direction we seem to be going? Try this book out. It might inspire you and provide a little light and hope. Evelyn Petschek. Such a remarkable man!! John Lewis has always been an icon for me, so I eagerly awaited this new biography.

It did not disappoint, well-researched, well-written, comprehensive without being boring or bogged down in unnecessary detail. Excellent audio narration. Lot's of background information to famous civil rights battles in American history provided by David Greenberg's John Lewis, a life. Lewis was so young during the protests; the sit-ins, bus rides, and marching years, his story is sometimes awash in the stories of others like Martin Luther King Jr.

The second half of the book covers his long congressional career and his role in many causes and the renewal of the voting rights act.

David greenberg author biography for book: David Greenberg is a historian and

Author 1 book 37 followers. A life of good trouble. At first I was intimidated by the length of this biography, but every day I looked forward to learning more about this inspirational man and his struggle to realize the Beloved Community. We need it now more than ever. Born in Alabama inJohn Robert Lewis was descended from a line of slaves and sharecroppers.

Despite the abolishment of slavery 75 years before, the plight of the African-American men and women continued in the Deep South.

David greenberg author biography for book: BIOGRAPHY. I was born in Brooklyn,

Lewis was determined from an early age not to live in the poverty-stricken backwaters of the South. He was well-read and particularly enjoyed reading the Bible. While his family toiled the land to make ends meet, Lewis would be more inclined to have his face buried in a book and acquire whatever knowledge he could. The Civil Rights movement had begun in earnest as Lewis left home to attend seminary school in Nashville.

Despite Nashville being considered a more progressive-minded city than its Southern neighbors, there were still certain facilities such as lunch counters and stores that clung to the restrictive practice of segregation. Lewis would become involved with the Nashville Christian Leadership Council, where the utilization of sit-ins and other methods of nonviolent resistance would help publicize the push for desegregation of the targeted locales.

For his work, he would take his lumps, along with the occasional arrest and resulting stint in jail. By the s, Lewis was becoming a known presence in the various integration campaigns.

David greenberg author biography for book: Follow David Greenberg and explore their

The violence meted out by racist citizens and law enforcement shocked the conscience of the nation. Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr. They would stress the need for sweeping civil rights legislation to John F. Kennedy and his successor, Lyndon B. Protecting the African-American vote would emerge as a paramount concern, especially after a fateful march in Selma, Alabama, in The Voting Rights Act was the direct result.

His powerful voice and impeccable character led to his being asked to serve on a committee for President Jimmy Carter. The political bug resulted in him running for Atlanta City Council and would push him to run for Congress in He served with distinction for over 30 years. John Lewis was born into a world where he refused to accept the way things were.

Throughout the balance of his 80 years, he spoke out for the underdog. He possessed the heart of a lion, the mind of a precocious pupil and the sonorous voice of a revivalist preacher. Lewis was a remarkable man who was knocked down physically but never spiritually in the most trying of times. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro. Stephen Harrison.

This is a solid book of John Lewis's life. The most interesting part for me is no surprise his civil rights work. Lewis pretty much did it all. He was arrested 43 times and assaulted several times as well. And because he was so young when he started, he lived to be one of the last links to the Civil Rights Movement of the s. One particularly interesting part is when the book illustrates how close Lewis was to MLK in approach and how much Lewis looked up to him.

Lewis's dedication to non-violence was so strong that it eventually caused him to lost his position of leader of SNCC as more and more members of the organization viewed him as out of touch with current politics. Lewis was dedicated to non-violence as both a moral and strategic way to cause change, but many SNCC members wanted more direct action.

The other really interesting part was Lewis's primary fight with long-time friend Julian Bond to be the Democratic nominee for Georgia's Fifth District for the U. House of Representatives. It turned ugly near the end when Lewis raised the issue of Bond's drug use. Bond never forgave him, although his wife and son eventually reconciled with the Lewises.

Once in Congress, Lewis wasn't a great legislator, but was a strong moral voice, often bringing up the march at Selma in He was eventually known as the "conscience of Congress". When he led a sit-in on the House floor to bring a bill on gun restrictions to the floor, he was breaking House rules, but Republicans were afraid to physically remove him because of his history and moral stature.

The bill never came to the floor but it did raise the issue for the press. About this book Summary. Book Summary. More about membership! Reviews Media Reviews Reader Reviews. Media Reviews "An exemplary life, and an exemplary biography that will rekindle readers' commitment to racial justice. Author Information Biography. David Greenberg David Greenberg is a professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University and a frequent commentator on historical and political affairs.

More Recommendations More Books. Readers Also Browsed. She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. About Discuss. From the author of the bestselling Clytemnestra comes another intoxicating excursion into ancient history.

David greenberg author biography for book: About The Author. David

When kings fall, queens rise. Book Club Giveaway! Read the Reviews. With his perennial commitment to American aspiration and to bearing witness to the gap between that aspiration and tragic reality, often at fundamental peril to himself, Lewis changed a nation. David Greenberg's brilliant biography captures all the 'Good Trouble' John wrought to save his country from itself.

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