Jeanne Theoharis is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. She received an A.B. in Afro-American studies from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in American culture from the University of Michigan. She is the author or coauthor of six books and numerous articles on the black freedom struggle and the contemporary politics of race in the United States
"In the first sweeping history of Parks's life, Theoharis shows
us...[that] Parks not only sat down on the bus; she stood on the
right side of justice for her entire life."
--Julian Bond, chairman emeritus, NAACP "The Rebellious Life of
Mrs. Rosa Parks will undoubtedly be hailed as one of the most
important scholarly contributions to civil rights history ever
written. ... I can't wait to assign this book in every class I
teach."
--Melissa Harris-Perry, host, MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry
"Theoharis brings all of her talents as a political scientist and
historian of the civil rights movement to bear on this illuminating
biography of the great Rosa Parks."
--Henry Louis Gates Jr. "The Rosa Parks in this book is as much
Malcolm X as she is Martin Luther King Jr."
--Charles Blow, The New York Times "Richly informative, calmly
passionate and much needed."
--Nell Irvin Painter, The New York Times Book Rreview "Charisma is
not a word often used to describe Rosa Parks yet we have to
recognize her star. The Rosa Parks challenge to the political
system was deep and lasting even while she never raised her voice.
The first female Speaker of the House of Representatives once said,
'You can get a lot done if you don't need to take credit for it.'
She took a page from the book of Parks. Theoharis' scholarship
brings forth a woman whom many followed without ever realizing they
were. She was courageous and strong. She also had a wonderful sense
of humor. And an awesome sense of responsibility. This is a much
needed book on the woman who is, arguably, the most important
person in the last half of the twentieth century. Just as the
Lincoln Memorial needs a statue of Frederick Douglass gently
bending over with a pen in his hand for Lincoln to sign the
Emancipation Proclamation, the statue of Martin Luther King, Jr.
needs a statue of Rosa Parks just one or two steps ahead mouthing
the words: 'Come on, Dr. King. We've got work to do.'"
--Nikki Giovanni, Poet "How Theoharis learned the true nature of
this woman is a story in itself. Parks always stood in the
background, never volunteered information about herself and
eschewed fame. There were no letters to consult; even her
autobiography exposed little of the woman's personality. She hid
her light under a bushel, and it has taken an astute author to find
the real Parks. Even though her refusal to give up her bus seat
sparked a revolution, Rosa Parks was no accidental heroine. She was
born to it, and Theoharis ably shows us how and why."
--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "Historian Theoharis offers a
complex portrait of a forceful, determined woman who had long been
active before the boycott she inspired and who had an even longer
career in civil rights afterward."
--Booklist
"Theoharis submits a lavishly well-documented study of Parks's life
and career as an activist."
--Publishers Weekly "Verdict: This meticulously researched book is
for everyone; advanced middle school and beyond."
--Library Journal "Jeanne Theoharis has written an eye-opening
biography of Rosa Parks. It was ideal for the classroom: smart,
brisk, and engaging. Best of all, Theoharis explodes all of the
clichés surrounding a historical figure whom most students thought
they knew. I will assign this book again and again."
--Thomas J. Sugrue, David Boies Professor of History and Sociology,
University of Pennsylvania "Jeanne Theoharis's Rosa Parks is a
pedagogical gift. Clearly written, forcefully argued, and filled
with important and groundbreaking historical insights about the
civil rights era, black women's indelible political and
intellectual framing of the movement, and the deep-seated black
radicalism that undergirded the entire era. A must read book for
every course on the civil rights movement.
--Peniel E. Joseph, Professor of History at Tufts University and
author of Waiting 'til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of
Black Power in America
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