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
"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
“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
“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
“In this book, Jeanne Theoharis gives us the gift of a fully-human
Rosa Parks who studied, organized, loved, struggled and stayed
committed to freedom her entire life. This Rosa, the person not the
myth, offers current organizers a tangible model for both engaging
with and being part of our communities in authentic ways. This is a
gift to movement-building in our generation. Read this book with
others and keep pushing for more justice in Rosa’s lineage.”
—Mariame Kaba, organizer and educator, Interrupting Criminalization
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