In March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks triggered the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., by refusing to surrender her seat to a white passenger, a 15-year-old Montgomery girl, Claudette Colvin, let herself be arrested and dragged off the bus for the same reason; in 1956, Colvin was one of four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, a landmark case in which Montgomery's segregated bus system was declared unconstitutional. Investigating Colvin's actions, asking why Rosa Parks's role has overshadowed Colvin's, Hoose (We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History) introduces readers to a resolute and courageous teenager and explores the politics of the NAACP and bus-boycott leadership. Because Colvin had been tearful in the period following her 1955 conviction, when her classmates shunned her, she was deemed too "emotional" to place at the center of the bus boycott; by the time Parks assumed that position, Colvin was disgraced: pregnant but not married. Hoose's evenhanded account investigates Colvin's motives and influences, and carefully establishes the historical context so that readers can appreciate both Colvin's maturity and bravery and the boycott leadership's pragmatism. Illus. with b&w photos. Ages 10-up. (Feb.)

Nearly a year before Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery public bus, fifteen-year-old African American student Claudette Colvin was the first to be arrested for that brand of civil disobedience in the Alabama city. This book offers a glimpse at a long-overlooked figure in the civil rights movement, who is now credited with being an important factor in sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Colvin faced a court hearing and became pregnant shortly after her arrest. Local activists felt that she was not the right "face" for the cause, and she was generally forgotten in accounts of the civil rights movement for nearly fifty years. Hoose provides an in-depth account of her life, both during the civil rights movement and in the years afterward. This story of Colvin's contributions to the civil rights movement is enhanced by first-person accounts, interviews, primary sources, and well-captioned illustrations. Potentially unfamiliar terms and concepts are explained within the text or in clear and unobtrusive sidebars. Of special interest is the exploration of the importance of perceived cultural, social, and physical appearance in the search for a public face for the legal battles of the civil rights movement in Montgomery and nationwide. This fresh look at a well-documented period in American history will appeal to readers from young teens to adults. Reviewer: Sherrie Williams

Most of us are aware of what Rosa Parks did in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on the segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. It was a historic moment, but I also knew that there had been another young woman who had refused to move from her seat, but the details about her and the event were scant. Hoose has done a remarkable job researching and obtaining first person accounts of the bus incident involving a teenager named Claudette Colvin. Her bravery in the face of bullying from the bus driver and the police officers was remarkable. So was her agreement to be one of the ones to testify in Browder v. Gayle, a major Civil Rights case. Stepping back to the incident of Claudette's arrest, all charges against her except assaulting an officer (which she did not attempt) were dropped. It left her with a criminal record and the lawyers in the Civil Rights Movement had no case to appeal in relation to segregation. However, the experience changed Claudette's life forever. She was not treated as a heroine—actually pretty much the opposite—and since she was on probation her life took a drastic turn in that she stayed near home and family. Her one outlet was the NAACP youth meeting where Rosa Parks appointed her as youth secretary. However, her chance to shine came when Fred Gray, a young NAACP lawyer, proposed a challenge to the constitutionality of a state law in the hope that the case would be taken up by a three-judge federal panel. It was and now Fred had to find plaintiffs who would be able to stand up to the pressure of testifying before these judges. Claudette was among those chosen and who immediately agreed to be a plaintiff. Charles Langford, one of the plaintiff'slawyers, stated "if there was a star witness in the boycott case, it had to be Claudette Colvin." Hoose focuses on the difficulties in Claudette's life, her pregnancy as a teenager, her move north, the birth of another child, and eventually the turn around that came when she began work as a nurse's aide. Her place in the Civil Rights Movement remained in the shadows until fairly recently, but now her story has been told. It is one that stays with the reader and you cannot help but marvel at what she did as a teenager. My only frustration with the book was wanting to know a bit more about this woman in her later years and also what happened to her two sons. That aside, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand more about segregation, Jim Crow laws, life in Montgomery before and during the bus boycott, and perhaps get a glimmer of what kind of grit fighting segregation took. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot

Gr 6 Up

In Montgomery, AL, in March 1955, 15-year-old Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. She was arrested, and although she received some help from local civil rights leaders, they decided that the sometimes-volatile teen was not suitable to be the public face of a mass protest. Later that year, Rosa Parks sparked the famous bus boycott. Colvin was left with a police record and soon faced the additional problems of an unwed pregnancy and expulsion from school. In spite of those troubles, she consented to be named as a plaintiff in the court case that eventually integrated Montgomery's buses. Thus Colvin played a central role in the city's civil rights drama, but her story has been largely lost to history. Hoose, who had been curious about the often-unidentified teen who first defied bus segregation, persuaded her to tell her story. His book puts Colvin back into the historical record, combining her reminiscences with narrative about her life and the tumultuous events of the boycott. He includes background about segregated Montgomery and places Colvin's story into the context of the larger Civil Rights Movement. The text is supplemented with black-and-white photos, reproductions of period newspapers and documents, and sidebars. While virtually all students know Rosa Parks's story, this well-written and engaging book will introduce them to a teen who also fought for racial justice and give them a new perspective on the era, making it an outstanding choice for most collections.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO

Claudette Colvin's story will be new to most readers. A teenager in the 1950s, Colvin was the first African-American to refuse to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Ala. Although she later participated with four other women in the court case that effectively ended segregated bus service, it is Rosa Parks's action that became the celebrated event of the bus boycott. Hoose's frank examination of Colvin's life includes sizable passages in her own words, allowing readers to learn about the events of the time from a unique and personal perspective. The sequence of events unfolds clearly, with its large cast of characters distinctly delineated. Period photographs and reprints of newspaper articles effectively evoke the tenor of the times. Both Colvin and the author speculate that it was Colvin's unplanned (and unwed) pregnancy that prevented her from being embraced as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Her commitment to combating injustice, however, was unaffected, and she remains an inspiring figure whom contemporary readers will be pleased to discover. (notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 12 & up)

Hoose's book, based in part on interviews with Colvin and people who knew her - finally gives her the credit she deserves.” —The New York Times Book Review

“History might have forgotten Claudette Colvin, or relegated her to footnote status, had writer Phillip Hoose not stumbled upon her name in the course of other research and tracked her down. . . .The photos of the era are riveting and Claudette's eloquent bravery is unforgettable.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Before Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin, a teenager who knew her constitutional rights and was willing to be arrested to prove it” —The Washington Post, a Best Book of 2009 selection

“Compelling.” —New York Daily News

“Hoose vividly recreates Colvin's bravery.” —The New York Post

“Hoose makes the moments in Montgomery come alive, whether it's about Claudette's neighborhood, her attorneys, her pastor or all the different individuals in the civil rights movement who paths she crossed . . . . An engrossing read.” —Chicago Tribune

“Phil Hoose, who has done pioneering work in bringing to our attention the crucial role of young people in social movements, here tells the extraordinary, yet little-known story of Claudette Colvin, who, even before the famous incident involving Rosa Parks, sparked the historic bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. Claudette Colvin was a remarkable teenager. With great courage she acted upon her principles — and played a significant role in the drama of the civil rights movement. This is a story that if taught in every classroom in the nation, might well inspire a new generation of young activists to join the on-going struggle for social justice.” —Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

“Phil Hoose's profile of the remarkable Claudette Colvin is MUST reading for anyone still imbued with hope. She is a lighthouse in a stormy sea. ” —Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Good War

“Today, thanks to Hoose, a new generation of girls—and boys—can add Claudette Colvin to their list of heroines.” —Christian Science Monitor

“Hoose writes in a fluid, easy style and weaves in many voices of the time. He captures the tension and explosive emotions in the pivotal scenes.” —Sacramento Bee

“Hoose's evenhanded account investigates Colvin's motives and influences, and carefully establishes the historical context so that readers can appreciate both Colvin's maturity and bravery and the boycott leadership's pragmatism.” —Starred, Publishers Weekly

“Hoose encourages teens to empathize with an age peer, once dismissed as too ‘emotional' to withstand public scrutiny, who later testified in the federal lawsuit that would finally end discrimination on public transportation.” —Starred, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“This inspiring title shows the incredible difference that a single young person can make.” —Starred, Booklist

“Smoothly weaves excerpts from Hoose's extensive interviews with Colvin and his own supplementary commentary.” —Starred, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Inspiring. ” —Kirkus Reviews

“Outstanding. ” —Starred, School Library Journal

“Hoose reasserts her [Claudette Colvin] place in history with this vivid and dramatic account, complemented with photographs, sidebars, and liberal excerpts from interviews conducted with Colvin.” —Starred, The Horn Book

“This stirring account affirms Colvin's rightful place in history and gives young people a reason to stand up for what's right, even if the laws are not.” —Shelf Awareness

“This fresh look at a well-documented period in American history will appeal to readers from young teens to adults.” —VOYA

“In Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice young readers finally get to hear Claudette Colvin's story in her own words, giving them a detailed look at segregated life in 1950s Montgomery, Alabama, and showing them how one teenager helped change the world.” —Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund

“Through interviews with Colvin and others, Hoose delves into the details behind this largely unknown incident, ensuring that readers will have Colvin's courageous story forever seared into their memories.” —The Horn Book, a Fanfare 2009 book

Phil Hoose's profile of the remarkable Claudette Colvin is MUST reading for anyone still imbued with hope. She is a lighthouse in a stormy sea.