Unstoppable John: How John Lewis Got His Library Card—and Helped Change History

Gr 2-4–Many books have been written by and about civil rights icon John Lewis, who died in 2020, and his work as an adult. This story focuses on his quest for a library card. He was denied one as a teen in 1956 for being Black. The book frames this rejection as the inciting incident in Lewis’s long history of fighting for civil rights. Due to its brevity, the book becomes a condensed and simplified look at the years of the Civil Rights movement, rendering the library card event virtually incidental. Sadly, the artwork is uneven. Environments and objects are well-rendered; people are not. The passage of time is unclear, and Lewis is not depicted consistently, making it difficult to identify him in some scenes. A spread near the end features a crowd of people who are so lightly detailed, they appear unfinished and angry in what is supposed to be a triumphant moment. Back matter includes an author’s note with more context about Lewis, a time line of his many achievements, and a list of reading resources.