Rosa Parks: Courageous Citizen

Sterling Biographies

by Ruth Ashby

Profiles the African American woman who sparked a bus boycott when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History, Cultural, Biography

124 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2008

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read a very inspiring lady Rosa parks

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to Rosa Parks’s Biography on Audio was an absolutely wonderful and educational experience.
As a Western European I never studied American history much, well not in-depth. This clear and captivating Audio book made for school kids explains the life of this extraordinary woman in a very comprehensive way. I learned so much about terminology and acronyms I have come across but never really knew what they stood for. For instance I never really knew what the Jim Crow laws stood for.
I actually didn’t know that Rosa Parks was from a modest background. A simple woman. She definitely deserves the place she has been given in American history and I hope many will follow her outstanding example.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

She just wouldn’t get up—and with that simple, courageous act Rosa Parks struck a blow against injustice. Parks showed what one person, without guns or violence, could do to change the course of history forever. Nelson Mandela claimed “she is who inspired us…to be fearless when facing our oppressors.” As a volunteer secretary for the NAACP, Parks chronicled racial injustices and fought for desegregation. Then, on December 1, 1955, she made a stand on a Montgomery, Alabama bus: she refused to relinquish her seat for a white man. Her arrest mobilized the black community for a citywide bus boycott that led to a landmark Supreme Court decision. Award-winning author Ruth Ashby beautifully conveys Park’s dignity and determination.

[Amanda P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. While I learned about Rosa Parks in school; I don’t feel like any of it ever sank in. It was great to go back and relearn all about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and her relationship with MLK Jr.
I’m excited to pickup her biography that she co-wrote with James Haskins in the hopes of learning even more about one of the most influential women in the 20th century.

[Tim Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A junior high or high school book but great short history of the life and impact of Rosa Parks.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book showing the life of Rosa Parks and the events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement during her lifetime. Not too in depth but a good description for middle schoolers.

[Samrurng]

Hello Nancy,

Question# 1
As I read this book, it reminds me of the king rama#5 in my country, Thailand. This is because long time ago there had been slavery in Thailand.At that time, nobody could abolish the system.Consequently, in the period of the king, he absolutely abolished the slavery. Although racial segregation in America in the past was not exactly same to the slavery in Thailand, similarly it aimed at cutting off people's or peoples'gaps, making them freedom, and giving equality to them.Therefore,Rosa Parks would be regarded as a symbol of the modern movement for civil rights.

Question#10

In the reading, a thing which surprised me is that
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. At that time, I think that it was not easy ot do that. However,the action was a essentail point to achieve the movement of civil rights, it also effects on the story because if there is no this action, there is no the story. That is, Rosa Parks liked common people--nothing special.Moreover,Rosa's story encourages me to brave to do right things as possible as I can even though that I do that may be dangerous for me.

Finally, let you know that I completed 124 pages of the book.

[Victor Amaral · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really and it felt like I really connected with Rosa Parks and I felt that the author did a really good job with that. For example, When the author was talking about all the jobs that Rosa did it felt like I was doing it while reading because it was so detailed and that is what I personally like about books like that. Also when the author was talking about how the all black schools had to bring there own fire wood to burn as a heater and the all white school had heaters on in the winter and how the all whites had a water fountain and how the all blacks had their own water fountain. This shows how difficult life was back then and how much it has changed and it also shows how badly black people were treated back then and today some still do get treated like that. Also it shows how society changed and how much nicer people are today than they were back then.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this is a story that kids of grade 5 and up can read and understand. This is a great story for everyone to read because it is a non-fictional story and it gives great facts about what happened in the 1900's.I loved this story and I thought the theme was to learn that you can do anything that you put your heart set to do. The author used most of the setting to give us an understanding of what is going on and how the place would make us feel. This story has taught me to never give up even if you fail over and over again. Rosa Parks tried so hard to stop segregation so when she got on the bus she never got out of her seat willingly because she was to proud to get off.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a great overview of the Civil Rights movement, with a focus on Rosa Parks. In this book, the story of Rosa Parks is told, but the book also brings in other key events and people of that time period, many of whom Rosa interacted with. I also really liked that this book provided some great pictures that will capture the attention of students. It is one that I would love to have in my classroom and would allow students to use for Civil Rights research.

[Arica Newcom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to include in a Civil Rights unit. The book tells the story of the day Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up on a bus and how it sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The information and pictures are displayed in a way that is great for middle school aged children. Students will forget that they are reading about history and will learn all about one of our nations greatest heroes.

[Morgen Shambaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this for my social studies class and cannot wait to have it as part of my book collection in my future classroom. It is a great story of Rosa's life and gives many details that I had never heard of before, like the relationship between her and her husband, or her and her friends. It made me want to share everything important about Rosa.

[Kate Busch]

This is a biography about Rosa Parks. It does a great job of not only telling her story, but also telling the story of the Montgomery Buss Boycott and what was going on during that time. This is a great book to use when studying the Civil Rights for students to gain a better understanding of what people went though.

[Sean Gresham · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as a textbook goes, this is one of the best. Some might consider it a trade book, regardless, it is a great book to teach about the civil rights movement and is an enjoyable read. 160 pages, but I was able to read in one sitting so I would not have a problem assigning it over a one or two week period in my 5th or 6th grade classes.

[Jordan Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an account of Rosa Parks' life and the events that led up to her courageous act of not giving up her seat on the bus. Told from several different perspectives, this book provides tons of factual information about Mrs. Parks and her belief in nonviolence. I would definitely use this book in my classroom to help teach my students because the information is factual and very thorough.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Rosa Parks: Courageous Citizen is a biography of Rosa Parks written by Ruth Ashby.This book is about Rosa Park's life and what she did before, her inspirations, and people who helped and (or) influenced Rosa to do her corageous act of standing up or black people, to start the movement of the civil rights , and to inspire people to start it a rebellion against racism.

[Maddy Kundel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because not only did it give you a pretty good look into Rosa Parks' life, but it provided little helpful blurbs off to the side of almost every page talking about other events going on at the time as well!

[Jen Arend · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was obviously about Rosa Parks. It showed the events from her side of it instead of just the Civil Rights Movement. This book has a lot of content, but it is also an interesting narrative. this would be a great book to have students write a book report on.

[Katie Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the biography of Rosa Parks. It tells the story of her life as a young girl in the south and how her life experiences shaped who she became. The novel also gives information about many other important figures in the Civil Rights Movement.

[Teagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book really had a lot of details

[M. D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and educational -- a good read