Rosa Parks: A Life in American History

by Darryl Mace

Overview

Rosa Parks's crucial decision proved more than one to remain seated. This book uses historical analysis and Parks's own words to paint a complete picture of her life as a courageous and defiant civil rights activist.

Rosa Parks: A Life in American History explores the life of this important civil rights activist in the context of the cultural and social history of her time. The book focuses heavily on the influence of her mother and grandparents in her civil rights activism and emphasizes the fact that Rosa Parks was always active and engaged in the struggle for civil rights. Analyses of speeches she delivered provide a picture that broadens her influence and importance far beyond the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Chapters are organized chronologically, beginning with Rosa Parks' family history and ending with her death and legacy, and a culminating chapter explores her extensive impact on American history. The work also includes a timeline of key events in her life and a bibliography to aid additional research. Readers will benefit from a holistic approach that explores Parks' life well beyond her refusal to give up her seat on the Montgomery bus line. Of note, this book connects Parks' lifelong activism to the spirit of justice and resistance she learned at a young age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440868436
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/13/2021
Series:	Black History Lives
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	189
File size:	535 KB

About the Author

Darryl Mace is professor and chair of the history and political science department at Cabrini University.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword
Preface: Rewriting Rosa Parks in Collective Memory
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
The Roots of Race Consciousness
Chapter 2
Miseducation and Reeducation
Chapter 3
The Reality of Rape Culture
Chapter 4
Black Voter Registration Efforts
Chapter 5
Public Activism
Chapter 6
Youth Movements
Chapter 7
Battle on the Bus
Chapter 8
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Chapter 9
"Tired of Giving In"
Chapter 10
A Symbol Frozen in Time
Why Rosa Parks Matters
Timeline
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Those interested in learning more about Parks and the civil rights movement will find inspiration in this enlightening work.” —Library Jourbanal

“Recommended. General readers, lower-division undergraduates, and two-year program students.” —Choice

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2021

Rosa Parks (1913–2005) is known as the Black woman who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, AL, in 1955. This entry by Mace (history and political science, Cabrini Univ.; In Remembrance of Emmett Till) in the "Black History Lives" series adds to Parks's legend by taking a scholarly look at her life. He writes that Parks was raised to be strong and independent; her mother and grandparents believed education was important for later success. Mace examines the role of rape culture in Parks's life, with excerpts from an essay in which she describes surviving an attempted rape. The book covers the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Parks's refusal to give up her seat, as well as the remainder of her life, before concluding with a powerful chapter entitled "Why Rosa Parks Matters." A full list of sources, a time line, and a thorough index round out the work. Mace's research is excellent, and he handles the subject with compassion. VERDICT Those interested in learning more about Parks and the civil rights movement will find inspiration in this enlightening work.—Jason L. Steagall, Arapahoe Libs., Centennial, CO

Library Journal