claudette colvin twice toward justice book

Only a few chapters in, we learn about Jeremiah Reeves, a teen arrested for supposedly raping a white woman. Every chapter had some simple but quotable line. This was such an eminently quotable book that I had trouble choosing an excerpt. This kept the pace moving briskly along, and will help keep things interesting for younger (or low-level) readers. The chapters are short and dotted with photographs both personal and historical and text boxes giving further information or a different perspective on various aspects of the story. She didn’t want to pay for her story to be told and “The truth is the truth regardless of the color of the author.” While I wish that Colvin was credited as an author, I also respect her choice to tell this story to Hoose. Colvin shuns the spotlight and was difficult to find and interview, agreeing to tell her story only after retirement to avoid potential reprisals at work.Īn afterword to the new edition is in question and answer format between the authors, and on page 123 Colvin answers the question directly, stating that no black author ever approached her. By his own account, Hoose pursued this story for many years. There has been some debate about the suitability of a white man to tell this story. On the other hand, he is receiving all the credit. Hoose clearly made the best choice by letting Colvin’s voice shine and allowing her to narrate as much as possible of her book. Significant portions of this book are told in the first person, taken directly from extensive interviews with Ms. Most books by white men about black history tend to assume an authoritative, know-it-all position that often leaves out details important to the people who were living that history. What it is inside was a little different than I’d expected. This is “The acclaimed true story of the girl who changed history” according to the front cover. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.

Her story is now coming to light for a new generation. The first black woman (really a girl) to refuse to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus and be arrested for doing so, she knew and inspired Rosa Parks, but was not considered suitable to be the face of the movement. Winner of the National Book Award and a Newberry Honor Book.īefore Rosa Parks was a household name, there was Claudette Colvin. Square Fish Imprint, Macmillan, New York, 2009.Īge 10 + nonfiction, 150 pages including extras, notes, and index.

Claudette colvin twice toward justice book