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A review by britlovestoread
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis
5.0
This is a remarkable account of Rosa Park's life as a truly radical activist both before, during, and after the Mongtomery Bus Boycott.
Parks' quiet, unassuming, and well-mannered demeanor is well known, but her radical politics - not so much. There is so much many of us have missed based on the way she and her actions (and the entire Civil Rights movement in general) have been taught.
The book details how she was always active and playing whatever role she could to stand against injustice, and had plenty of thoughts on social issues and the way many leaders in the movement were handling them. It was so interesting to see some of the complexities regarding Parks and King's relationship, as well as many other prominent activists.
I was in tears at several different points while reading this book. I was particularly moved by the way Nelson Mandela greeted Parks, and the way she revered Malcolm X and was always so passionate about and fueled by the younger activists emerging during her generation. I was blown away by how severe her economic hardships became after her original arrest on the bus. She also mentioned on more than one occasion how difficult that day was since even though there were 2 or 3 other Black women asked to move at the same time, she ended up taking that original stand on her own.
This book was so detailed and insightful, and pretty well organized considering how many layers needed to be sorted through. I definitely recommend.
Parks' quiet, unassuming, and well-mannered demeanor is well known, but her radical politics - not so much. There is so much many of us have missed based on the way she and her actions (and the entire Civil Rights movement in general) have been taught.
The book details how she was always active and playing whatever role she could to stand against injustice, and had plenty of thoughts on social issues and the way many leaders in the movement were handling them. It was so interesting to see some of the complexities regarding Parks and King's relationship, as well as many other prominent activists.
I was in tears at several different points while reading this book. I was particularly moved by the way Nelson Mandela greeted Parks, and the way she revered Malcolm X and was always so passionate about and fueled by the younger activists emerging during her generation. I was blown away by how severe her economic hardships became after her original arrest on the bus. She also mentioned on more than one occasion how difficult that day was since even though there were 2 or 3 other Black women asked to move at the same time, she ended up taking that original stand on her own.
This book was so detailed and insightful, and pretty well organized considering how many layers needed to be sorted through. I definitely recommend.