Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation

by John Lewis, Andrew Young (Foreword by), Kabir Sehgal (With)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

John Lewis’ Carry On is a last witness to the life and legacy of this fierce defender of justice and light. That Lewis felt an urgency at the end of his life to put to paper these principles he held dear is a gift, as well as an inspiring, urging call to stand up, imagine, and keep moving. "Keep the faith. Carry on.” 

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538707128
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	07/13/2021
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	5,646
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Congressman John Lewis (1940-2020) was a leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and played a key role in the struggle to end segregation. Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks, and serious injuries, John Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence. He was the author of Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement, which was an autobiography of his activism, and was the recipient of numerous awards from national and international institutions including the Lincoln Medal, the John F. Kennedy "Profile in Courage" Lifetime Achievement Award (the only of its kind ever awarded), and the NAACP Spingarn Medal, among many others.

Table of Contents

Foreword Ambassador Andrew Young vii

Editor's Note Gretchen Young xvii

On Good Days 1

On Mentors 5

On Heroes 11

On Good Trouble 17

On Activism 23

On Justice 31

On Courage 37

On Character 41

On Humility 45

On Conscience 49

On Hope 55

On Spirituality 61

On Faith 67

On Patience 75

On Fear 79

On Forgiveness 85

On Happiness 91

On Friendship 97

On Love 101

On Marriage 107

On Learning 113

On Art 121

On Books 129

On Sports 135

On Dress 139

On Money 143

On Immigration 147

On Orientation 153

On the Environment 157

On COVID-19 163

On Health Care 169

On Vision 173

On Communication 179

On Voting 187

On Death 191

On Leaving a Legacy 197

On the Future 201

Afterword Kabir Sehgal 205

John Lewis Chronology 213

About the Author 219

Editorial Reviews

05/31/2021

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. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Lewis makes the struggle for freedom plain and clear. From spirituality to politics to fear, John Lewis left the next generation with pockets of wisdom and encouraged us to Carry On struggling for justice with this small guide.”—Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist

"Lewis (1940-2020) lays bare the vision and stratagems that sustained him through his lifelong, often brutal struggle for Black liberty...The author’s courage and conviction are crystal clear, and it’s also evident that he never feared death because he knew that his life had purpose. A bright, morally unwavering worldview from an exemplary human being."

—Kirkus Review (starred review)

"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...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."—Publishers Weekly

"This lovely book offers Lewis’ meditations on everything from love to public service and affirms that he indeed represented the best of our nation...Carry On is a bittersweet book, coming so soon on the heels of Lewis’ death, but a beautiful reminder of finding hope and joy in the simplest things."—BookPage

From the Publisher

★ 2021-05-19
More hard-won wisdom from the late congressman, civil rights icon, and co-author of the indispensable March series.

In this collection of short observations on topics ranging from courage to patience to sports, Lewis (1940-2020) lays bare the vision and stratagems that sustained him through his lifelong, often brutal struggle for Black liberty. The author will long be remembered as a champion for Black equality as well as common decency and peace. One of the standout advocates of nonviolent political action, Lewis sought out “good trouble, necessary trouble”—such as that displayed by Rosa Parks, who “knew in her heart [that she] was right”—when the forces arrayed against Black civil rights bared their teeth. At the same time, he writes, “destruction doesn’t work. Rioting isn’t a movement. We must be constructive and not destructive. Chaos is sowing more division and discord.” Violence, writes the author, only serves to drown out injustice, surrendering the higher moral ground. As he demonstrates throughout, Lewis was a force for compassion, empathy, dignity, and self-worth, constantly pursuing justice reform, speaking out in the face of fear, and moving forward in the faith that good can come from principled, collective action. Lewis expresses himself with clarity, authenticity, and humility, all of which can be applied in nearly every arena, including health care (“a human right”), voting (“VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE. Write that in capital letters in your notes. All over the page. Remember the time when the right to vote was denied us? I do”), the environment (“We have a moral obligation to do what we can to preserve and save this little piece of real estate”), and immigration (“Welcome home. America wants and needs you”). The author’s courage and conviction are crystal clear, and it’s also evident that he never feared death because he knew that his life had purpose.

A bright, morally unwavering worldview from an exemplary human being.

Kirkus Reviews