Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice - Nonfiction and Biography

Bibliography

Hoose, Phillip. 2009. CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books. ISBN 0-374-31322-9.

Plot Summary

            Everyone has heard the story of Rosa Park, the woman from Montgomery, Alabama who refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, however 9 months before, a young girl had taken the exact same stance in defiance of existing segregation laws. Phillip Hoose, in CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE, depicts the story of this remarkable and courageous 14 year old girl. Unfortunately Claudette was portrayed by both Black and White society as “feisty” and “emotional”, compounded by the fact that she became pregnant at the age of sixteen, she was deemed unsuitable to be the public face of a bus boycott. To her extreme credit, she never gave up that struggle and ultimately played a key role in the lawsuit that ended segregation on Alabama busses.   

Critical Analysis

            CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE begins with Colvin’s own words about Jim Crow and what the laws meant for African American’s in the south in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The first voice we hear is hers, which is appropriate as she will continue to define and bring into greater perspective the historic events that ended segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. The book is like a documentary movie depicting chronologically this little known hero of African American rights. This technique creates a fast paced, visually interesting history.

Hoose’s biography of Claudette Colvin is presented in two ways. First is the text written by Hoose, second are what the author calls ‘Claudette Sections,’ her own words about the events described. Hoose conducted fourteen interviews with Colvin, which were the source for these sections. He was also able to conduct interviews with other key people that related to Colvin’s story. Hoose meticulously documents his sources for quoted material, and lists an impressive bibliography of related material.

           The majority of the illustrations in the book are black and white photographs of the people and events depicted in the story. Interspersed among these photos are additional photos of documents, such as Colvin’s arrest report and newspaper articles, that are pertinent to the text. Each photo is located next to its written context and the layout highlights and compliments the text. In addition, the photos convey the history of the time. 

          Hoose is extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter and his writing reveals an emotional attitude toward the material that enlivens the reading.  His admiration for Claudette is evident throughout his writing and his belief in the importance of presenting her story is manifest in his extensive research. He has written several other books on the subjects of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and about young people and their contributions to history.

Review Excerpts and Awards

Newberry Medal Honor Book 2010

National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature 2009

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Recommended Book 2010

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book 2010

BOOKLIST Starred review 2009: “Hoose’s lucid explanations of background figures and events alternate with lengthy passages in Colvin’s own words, and the mix of voices creates a comprehensive view of the Montgomery bus boycott and the landmark court case, Browder v. Gayle, that grew from it.”

COOPERATIVE CHILDREN’S BOOK CENTER CHOICES review 2010: “Phillip Hoose’s narrative, which was drawn in large part from interviews with Colvin and others as well as additional research, paints a fresh, insightful picture of those life-changing times in Montgomery, looking at them through the experiences of a teenager who faced challenges for being both young and Black.”

Connections

·       NPR’s website provides additional information on Claudette Colvin in the form of an article and an audio recording. The URL for that website is http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101719889.

·       A discussion would be held where children would be asked about any instances where they stood up and fought for something they believed in.

·       Other books that detail the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott include FREEDOM WALKERS: THE STORY OF THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT by Russell Freedman ISBN 0823421953 and THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT by Dennis Brindell Fradin ISBN 0761442588.
·       A Curriculum Guide for CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE can be found at this URL http://media.us.macmillan.com/teachersguides/9780312661052TG.pdf.