I decided to read the graphic novel Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, written by Alfred Hassler and Benton Resnik. I found this graphic novel very interesting because we had just finished reading March and this graphic novel was actually John Lewis’ inspiration for when he was a teenager and I thought that was really fascinating—from reading March to reading his inspiration. The overall novel is only 16 pages but the amount of information you learn only from something so small is intriguing because it’s like two stories in one; however, because there is so much information written on the 16 pages it is very overwhelming so I wish it was possibly a little larger just to be spaced out. The two stories that are involved are Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.; you are left with the whole story regarding Rosa Parks and the bus boycott and then it switches up to Martin Luther King Jr.’s reaction and feelings and how he wants to change what happened to her and ensure that it won’t happen again to her or anyone else. Another thing I really enjoyed about this novel is that we see Martin Luther King Jr.’s life as a child, and “watch” him grow up, which is fascinating in that we learn who he is as a person and really come to understand that he is a very intelligent man. We see his wife and friends in parts that he is confiding in them regarding the Rosa Parks bus boycott, and they help guide him into his overall goal of making sure that people of color do not have to go through any more injustice. Having complex topics written as graphic novels allow us as readers to understand the history easier and look at each particular time in history one by one to get a true understanding, which I really enjoy.
—Reagan Pickett, CMRD101 Fall 2020