Jon Meacham has written full biographies on Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson – books that looked at the past and captured these men and their influence on the times they lived.

With “His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope,” Meacham doesn’t write a complete biography but he does pen a book that captures the impact Lewis had on his times and society today.

John Lewis died last year at the age of 80, a congressman from Georgia, a civil rights icon.

Lewis grew up on a farm, preaching to the family’s chickens. He sought an education while his parents were concerned about his early push for equal rights. 

He met Dr. Martin Luther King early in his life while enrolled in college. He became part of the lunch-counter sit-ins.

He became a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He believed in the moral authority of nonviolent protest. 

He was arrested. He was beaten. 

He spoke during the March on Washington. He led the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. He became a congressman.

Meacham focuses on Lewis’ life as a young man, on his indelible contributions to the historic Civil Rights Movement. But Meacham also tells the story of the movement and the world and political forces that Lewis and the movement faced.

Anyone familiar with Meacham’s biographies will not be surprised by this volume. Still, this concise book has singular impact. It has an overwhelming character of strength and purpose. 

Like his past books, Meacham reaches out for the historical record but he also had the direct contact of Lewis’ memories and interviews for “Marching.” Even on the back cover, which is often reserved for a photograph of an author, “Marching” features a photograph of Lewis.

Meacham wrote “Marching” but this is Lewis’ book.