The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (OLD EDITION)

As is usual, I received this book as part of a GoodReads drawing. Despite the kind consideration of receiving a free book I give my candid assessment below.

The main topical thrust of this book is to set the story of Parks’ life in its proper light from her initial involvement in the Civil Rights

Show More

movement well before the famous Bus Incident until she finally received the Medal of Honor in 1999. Mythology paints Parks as a frail matronly figure who just happens to do the right thing at the right time. The reality that Theoharis paints is much more intriguing as it finds Parks involved in the movement for years before her epic stand and as a key figure in the leadership of the movement.

The reader is also introduced to the darker side of the story including Parks’ great personal , financial and psychological sacrifices. Highlighted too is the sexism rife within the organization that led her to be a silent participant in the early years. The Parks story is no fairy tale but instead a complex and interwoven narrative of a woman and a people who had finally just had enough of the injustice that surrounded them.

Beyond the content, the book is lavishly and intricately researched. Much of the text is provided through direct quotes from the participants. This is an exceptionally scholarly work but also one that draws the reader in and builds a deep sympathetic aura. The book concludes with 57 pages of index and appendices so it is a great research resource but unlike most books of that genre it is innately readable as well.

In summary, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks is a elaborately painted picture of the battle against the injustice that sat sullenly over the Jim Crow South during the civil rights era from the viewpoint of one very courageous woman. Despite the common idea that racism has been expunged from American culture, this book is a great and timely reminder of those dark and tempestuous times that were not all that long ago and that still cast a shadow over us even today.

Show Less

This took me a very long time to read. I'm not sure why. I liked the first part best -- about Rosa Parks' life & activism before the bus boycott. It was very interesting to read about Montgomery. After the boycott the author is outraged on behalf of Rosa Parks & the book goes a little slower. I

Show More

think there just isn't as much to say. A big point of the book is that Parks was an activist all her life, but nearer to the end her activism was more passive (lending her name, making an appearance). It was still valid & valuable but harder to make interesting.

But I don't mean to criticize. This is a very thorough book with much useful information & it is reasonably well-written. It gives a great picture of the early civil rights movement in the south, and extends all the way to the 2000's. It is not a detailed biography, but Ms. Parks' personal relationships and feelings are part of the story.

Show Less

Marvelous bio of Mrs. Parks shows her lifelong commitment to the struggle for equality. When asked how she would like to be remembered, she said she would like to be remembered as someone who wanted freedom and not only for herself. Author Theoharis did a marvelous job of reconnecting the life and

Show More

meaning of Rosa Parks, who will long be remembered.

Show Less

This insightful and revealing first full-length biography of Rosa Parks shatters all the myths about her that began with her arrest in Montgomery in 1955. Rosa Parks may have been shy, may not have worn her angry militancy on her sleeve, but she was never apolitical. She was never the accidental

Show More

activist, the mild-mannered seamstress too tired to give up her seat on the bus as depicted in the "national fable" of her life. Rosa's intense resentment of and lifelong resistance to racial injustice was instilled in her from an early age by her grandparents and parents. She made a living as a skilled tailor but her lifelong vocation was fighting for equality with the NAACP, the Montgomery Improvement Association, the Black Power movement, and a hundred other organizations and campaigns to which she selflessly offered her time and talent. Theoharis chronicles Rosa's lifelong activism from working with the NAACP in Alabama and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, to her leadership in civil rights activities in Detroit, her involvement in the Black Power movement, campaigns for black political candidates, and more. Theoharis also reveals the terrible economic, emotional, and physical toll Rosa's tireless activism had upon her and her husband Raymond. This is the story of the real Rosa Parks, the one everyone should know.

Show Less

This was a very interesting and comprehensive book. Many of our U.S. History students choose the civil rights era for their junior paper, which was the reason I requested this book as an early reviewer. Although I only read about a third of this, it was very interesting—it covers so much of her

Show More

life and her activism, most of which I was unaware. The New Introduction was fascinating too. Yes, we still have a long way to go to ‘end’ racism.

One of my thoughts while reading parts of this was how a non-violent movement, albeit extremely slow, is more effective than terrorism (you slowly get people to see the injustice and be on your side, rather than scare the crap out of them and make them want to kill you back). It takes little courage to be a suicide bomber, but to sacrifice your job and your family’s safety as did Rosa Parks, takes ongoing courage and faith in your cause. I realize that’s all an oversimplification of the world, but still….

This book will be a fine addition to our library's collection of book on civil rights leaders and history. Referencing a great deal of primary source documents, this book will provide plenty of reference information for our students.

Show Less

In her biography of Rosa Parks (The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks), Jeanne Theoharis provides continuously engaging, thoughtful, and perceptive insights into a truly remarkable woman. I had no real knowledge of Mrs Parks beyond the bus incident, but now I can see her on-going commitment and

Show More

contributions to the long (but still unfinished) struggle for equal rights in America. Her political philosophy did indeed include rebellion without being simply confrontational or destructive. Parks is inspiring in her dedication but also instructive in her methods. Read the book. Think about it. Read it again. Get to work.

Show Less

This was a very dense, detailed, and interesting read about the life of Rosa Parks. Like others, I didn't know much about her life aside from the bus incident. I never realized that my knowledge was so limited and wish that I had learned more about her struggle for equal rights earlier in my life.

Show More

It's sad that many of our history lessons in school leave out many pertinent details of this time period (especially the struggles in the 1940s). I think many others should read this book as it will help them understand and appreciate Rosa Park's contributions and increase their understanding of our country's history.

Show Less

“If not for Mrs. Parks nobody would have ever heard of Martin Luther King Jr.” - E.D. Nixon

After reading Jeanne Theoharis’ “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” I have to say that if not for Mrs. Parks there is a lot we never would have heard of and the world today would be a worse

Show More

place for it. Growing up, and well into adulthood all I knew about Rosa Parks was the popular myth, she was a tired seamstress who was tired and refused to give up her seat. Earning a degree in history I learned that that story was a simplification of the real story. Reading Theoharis’ book i discovered that what I learned in college was a simplification of the truth.

I don’t know why some books are harder for me to review and with other books the review almost writes itself. This is one of the difficult ones. It is a great book. I think it could be the best book I read this year and I read some very good books this year. That could be part of my problem. It is good on many levels. I learned Mrs. Rosa Parks life story as well as can be written until the last archive of her papers is opened to researchers. I also learned about classism and the power of showing up.

I have to recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil Rights Movement or American culture. It is well written, well researched, and well reasoned. I hope it gets wide exposure, the country could use some of Mrs. Parks tenacity and hope.

Show Less

The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks brings an awareness of the struggles of the past. Not only does it highlight the life of Rosa Parks but also the key players in the freedom fight of the time. Jeanne Theoharis, the author of this book described Mrs. Rosa Parks in detail and by the end of the

Show More

book you feel her spirit living in the pages. Most people learn a little about Rosa Parks in school and the changes that were made because of her refusal to give up a seat on the bus to a white person. People are not taught how many things she help change and how she was the “the mother of the freedom movement.” This book tells it all and I feel it is a must read for anyone that wants to learn more about the history the schools left out.

Show Less

Who in this country has not heard of Mrs. Rosa Parks? Yet, on the flip side of this same coin, how much do we know of her and her life? Many might think they do, yet Jeanne Theoharris' informative biography is a remarkable effort in fully answering that question. Written from an admittedly Leftist

Show More

perspective, Ms. Theoharris explores Mrs. Park's life in a comprehensive and informative manner. While there is the occasional, in my mind, talking down to the reader, it is more than over-matched by the sheer volume of research and scholarship that is evident in every page. Refuting myth, defying ritual and stereotype, Ms. Theoharris has crafted a remarkable life history of a truly remarkable individual. Rosa Parks was no historical accident or footnote. All of her life she worked tirelessly for the causes she believed in, defying not only segregation and bigotry, but also gender discrimination (in both White, African-American, and church cultures), ageism (she was always a strong supporter of young people), and political biases. From the beginnings of her life in Alabama to her subsequent relocating to Michigan, Mrs. Parks fought wrongs whenever and wherever she encountered them. From walking in Montgomery to walking in front of the South African embassy in Washington, Mrs. Parks lived her life as the biography's title so aptly and rightly says, rebelliously. If only all of us possessed a fraction of her courage and will.

Show Less

Theoharis offers a dense and well-researched history of the life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Eloquently worded, this text provides a variety of important stories to explain how Parks navigated life in the south and refused to give up regardless of the circumstances. I was most struck by the conclusion. In

Show More

"'Racism is Still Alive': Negotiating the Politics of Being a Symbol," Theoharis intersperses the facts of the assault on 89-year old Parks with quotes and provides a thorough and appropriate response to the circumstances. Theoharis understands how to write with objectivity and manages to provide the evidence in such a way that the narrative speaks for itself: your heart breaks for Parks, and your heart breaks for the current state of society. It's not a quick and easy read; the content itself is heavy. It is well-worth the time it takes to read it and it is worth pushing through the first few pages to jump into the narrative arc of the story. I marked it down to 4 stars because some of the chapters seem inaccessible if you don't have an academic background, but perhaps this thread is more common in biographies than I realized.

Show Less

I admit I only knew of Rosa Parks as the courageous lady who refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, resulting in the bus boycott and eventual desegregation of the busing system in Montgomery. But this brave act was only part of her work to restore dignity to the

Show More

African American people in America. Rosa worked along side of Martin Luther King, Congressman John Conyers in Michigan, and other prominent civil rights workers during her lifetime. She was most proud of the time she devoted to instilling young African American children with pride in their heritage. This was a well researched, scholarly, and interesting book.

Show Less

I feel books like this are important to show a fuller bigraphical account of a historical figure when, many times, a figure might be known for one isolated event even though he/she accomplished quite a bit in their lifetime. Plus, I think many people have learned about the "bus incident"

Show More

incorrectly or only know a very abridged, watered-down version. This book does a nice job of giving the whole picture. I especially like that the author focuses on what happens after the bus. There is so much more to share and Theoharis does a nice job.

Show Less