Civil Rights Hero John Lewis @National Book Fest

John Lewis , then 23, was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington.

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Lewis walks to his book talk

Last Saturday, the Library of Congress held its annual National Book Festival. More than 100 authors participated. Rep. John Lewis, current Congressman from Georgia and one of the greatest heroes from the Civil Rights era, was one those authors. Here is what Lewis, co-author of the graphic novel March: Book 1 (a 3-part trilogy that will explain his years in the Civil Rights Movement) with Andrew Aydin, had to say.

When he was a boy in Troy, Alabama, John Lewis' parents were sharecroppers. One of Lewis duties was to take care of the chickens. But at a very early age, Lewis decided he wanted to be a preacher. So he would encourage his siblings and cousins to gather all the chickens together and he would practice a sermon.

"Now those chickens never quite say 'Amen,' but I think they listened to me better than some of my (Congressional) colleagues do today. And some of those chickens were more productive," Lewis told the crowd.

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