Synopsis
The black woman whose acts of civil disobedience led to the 1956 Supreme Court order to desegregate buses in Montgomery, Alabama, explains what she did and why.
Children's Literature
This autobiographical story of a prominent woman in the struggle for civil rights should be in every school library. Nicely written in first person, it tells the story of Rosa Parks, the black woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white customer in Birmingham, Alabama, in the early l960's. Rosa tells of her life growing up in the South and how it felt to be Black in that culture. Following her refusal to give up her seat on the bus, the story recounts the resulting boycott as well as the ensuing struggles for civil rights and the stories of those who lead the battles. Lifelike illustrations add to the balanced portrayal of those turbulent years. One caveat, the date of Rosa's sit-in is omitted and referred to only as "long ago" which may leave some young people thinking that these important events are just history rather than viewing them as part of an ongoing struggle.