The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (10th Anniversary Edition) - by Jeanne Theoharis (Paperback)

About the Book

New Introduction copyright à 2025 by Jeanne Theoharis.

Book Synopsis

"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 NAACP Image Award winning book that has helped redefine the public understanding of the civil rights icon--revealing her to be a radical and committed activist

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks is the definitive political biography of Parks, examining her six decades of activism and challenging passive perceptions of her contributions in the civil rights movement.

Including a new introduction titled "Nine Ways to Be Like Rosa Parks in the Age of Black Lives Matter," public historian Jeanne Theoharis provides vital insight into her life and activism. She not only reveals Parks's personal, financial, and political struggles, but also highlights the danger of the "quiet seamstress" narrative, especially in an age where civil rights activism can be weaponized against those working for change.

Presenting a powerful corrective to the popular iconography of Rosa Parks, Theoharis excavates her political philosophy and six decades of activism. By detailing the political depth of a national heroine who dedicated her life to fighting inequality, Theoharis resurrects a civil rights movement radical who has been hidden in plain sight far too long, further showing how Parks and others helped pave the way for future activist organizations.

Review Quotes

"The Rosa Parks in this book is as much Malcolm X as she is Martin Luther King Jr."
--Charles Blow, The New York Times

"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."
--Mariame Kaba, organizer and educator, Interrupting Criminalization

"Richly informative, calmly passionate and much needed."
--Nell Irvin Painter, The New York Times Book Review

"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

"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."
--Melissa Harris-Perry, former host, MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry

"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

About the Author

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