Theme Year | 2015-2016
2015-16 Centerpiece Book
As part of each theme year, MUSE selects a centerpiece book to distribute to undergraduate students at no cost to them. For the 2015-16 Theme Year on Community, we have chosen March (Books One and Two) by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell.
March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
#1 New York Times and Washington Post bestseller
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award (Special Recognition)
An ALA Notable Book
One of YALSA’s Outstanding Books for the College Bound
One of Reader’s Digest’s Graphic Novels Every Grown-Up Should Read
“A riveting and beautiful civil-rights story…Lewis’s gripping memoir should be stocked
in every school and shelved at every library.”
–The Washington Post
“An astonishingly accomplished graphic memoir that brings to life a vivid portrait
of the civil rights era, Lewis’ extraordinary history and accomplishments, and the
movement he helped lead…Its power, accessibility and artistry destine it for awards,
and a well-deserved place at the pinnacle of the comics canon.”
–NPR
“Brave acts of civil disobedience…[give] March its educational value even as Powell’s drawings give Lewis’s crisp narration an emotional
power.”
–The New York Times
“Powell’s drawings in March combine the epic sweep of history with the intimate personal details of memoir, and
bring Lewis’s story to life in a way that feels entirely unfamiliar. March is shaping
up to be a major work of history and graphic literature.”
–Slate
STOP BY OUR OFFICE (STERLING SILL CENTER, ROOM 120) TO PICK UP FREE COPIES OF YOUR OWN BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!
Book Discussion Groups
Are you interested in reading our centerpiece book within a student discussion group? MUSE facilitates campus-wide, student-led book discussion groups. If you would like to join an existing group, or if you’re a student looking to start a “March” discussion group of your own, email Libby Henriksen at e.henriksen@muse.utah.edu for more information. Book discussion group leaders can earn money for the time they spend organizing a group, gathering participants, and leading the discussion.
Teaching "March"
Faculty members interested in teaching “March” in their Summer semester classes may contact Patrick McShane at (801) 587-3177 or p.mcshane@muse.utah.edu for more information on obtaining copies of the books and incorporating it into their curriculum.