'The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks' by Jeanne Theoharis unveils the complexities of a woman often mischaracterized as simply a tired seamstress. Delving deep into Rosa Parks' life, it showcases her as a fierce activist who played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement, challenging systemic injustice at every turn. The book reveals her commitment to social equity and the radical roots of her activism, often overshadowed by her iconic bus boycott image. Readers will discover the depth of her battles beyond that fateful day in Montgomery, including her ongoing struggle for human rights. This compelling biography invites readers to reconsider the true legacy of Rosa Parks—far more revolutionary than meets the eye.
By Jeanne Theoharis
Published: 2015
""Each of us is a vital part of the fight for justice; change is sparked not by silence but by the brave proclamations of our truths.""
"Jeanne’s book not only inspired the documentary but has been a catalyst in changing our national understanding of Rosa Parks. Highly recommend!”—Soledad O’Brien, executive producer of the Peabody Award–winning documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks 2014 NAACP Image Award Winner: Outstanding Literary Work–Biography/Autobiography 2013 Letitia Woods Brown Award from the Association of Black Women Historians Choice Top 25 Academic Titles for 2013 The definitive political biography of Rosa Parks examines her six decades of activism, challenging perceptions of her as an accidental actor in the civil rights movement. This revised edition includes a new introduction by the author, who reflects on materials in the Rosa Parks estate, purchased by Howard Buffett in 2014 and opened to the public at the Library of Congress in February 2015. Theoharis contextualizes this rich material—made available to the public for the very first time and including more than seven thousand documents—and deepens our understanding of Parks’s personal, financial, and political struggles. Presenting a powerful corrective to the popular iconography of Rosa Parks as the quiet seamstress who with a single act birthed the modern civil rights movement, scholar Jeanne Theoharis excavates Parks’s political philosophy and six decades of activism. Theoharis masterfully details the political depth of a national heroine who dedicated her life to fighting American inequality and, in the process, resurrects a civil rights movement radical who has been hidden in plain sight far too long.
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“"Each of us is a vital part of the fight for justice; change is sparked not by silence but by the brave proclamations of our truths."”
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
By Jeanne Theoharis
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Jeanne Theoharis is a distinguished scholar and author known for her insightful exploration of civil rights history and contemporary social justice issues. She is the author of notable works including 'The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,' which offers a comprehensive biography of the civil rights icon, and 'A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History.' Her writing is characterized by a rigorous historical analysis combined with a compelling narrative style that makes her work accessible and engaging to a broad audience. Theoharis is a professor at Brooklyn College and has contributed significantly to discussions on race, resistance, and the complexities of American history.
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