Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
160 pages
This book presents an account of fifteen‐year‐old Claudette Colvin, an African American girl who refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks did the same thing.
Watch a trailer about Claudette Colvin.
Sam’s review:
Do you think that one person – one teenager – can’t make a difference? Read this book and think again. Claudette Colvin grew up in the segregated South in the 1950s. Raised by her great aunt and uncle in a poor area of Montgomery, Alabama, she was intelligent and proud. She hated the unjust treatment that the people of her color suffered, and she could not figure out why the adults put up with it. The bus system of Montgomery was especially unfair; when she was 15 (in 1955), she had reached her limit. She refused to give up her seat to a white woman and was arrested and taken to jail. Nine months later, Rosa Parks did the same action and sparked the bus boycott that eventually ended segregation on the buses. Claudette also played a crucial role in this ending: the landmark court case, Browder v. Gayle, that made segregation illegal got much of its punch from the courageous testimony of Claudette and three other women. Before this book, her role in these events had been unrecognized. Phillip Hoose waited a long time for Claudette to be ready to share her story. She finally did, and he masterfully combined her moving narrative with historical background presented through text, photos, and documents. This book won the 2009 National Book Award and was a 2010 Newbery Honor Book, underlining its value and significance. It’s a powerful 150 pages!