An Unmovable Woman
Updated: Sep 21, 2020
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In this blog, I am going to share my thoughts on an autobiography called "Rosa Parks: My Story" written by Rosa Parks herself and Jim Haskins. I've had this book on the shelf for a while and I thought it might be good to read right now especially due to the new movements breaking out in the United States. Overall, I think this "children's" book would be a page-turner for kids and also anyone who reads it. I especially think adults who don't like reading long books would enjoy this because Rosa writes her story direct and to the point.
In the book, Rosa Parks not only talks about the moment on the segregated bus where sitting became a crime, but also what it was like to grow up in Alabama as a little girl. She talks about how, as she grew, she became more and more tired of being treated unfairly by most white people. She also goes over the repercussions of that life changing moment we all know so well, and how she stayed in the civil rights movement. She never stopped fighting for equality and peace.
I would give this book five out of five stars because it was informative, but at the same time, immersive for the reader. What I liked about this book is that it was written mainly by Rosa Parks, not someone trying to say what she would have said. It helped me understand what she had gone through and how she felt about it all.
I also really enjoyed the stories she thought to include because they were special to her, not just stories other people would think were special. For instance, one story that stood out to me as very interesting was when Rosa talked about a specific civil rights convention she went to. She was listening to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and near the end of the conference, a man jumped up onto the platform and started punching Dr. King. The amazing thing was that not only did Dr. King not defend himself against his attacker, but also that when the ushers took the man off the stage, Dr. King's reaction was to say "Don't touch him! We have to pray for him.". He then left the stage to start praying over him. To Rosa, this was proof that Dr. King was so peaceful because of what he believed that it actually overpowered everything else, even instinct.
All in all, I'm glad I read this book because I liked hearing what Rosa thought - it gave me a new perspective as to what life was like in a segregated community and showed me what being kind yet firm really looks like.
