Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is a non-fiction book about Claudette Colvin, a fifteen-year-old living in the segregated southern city of Montgomery, Alabama. The date is March 2, 1955, and Claudette is taking a segregated bus home, but she is sitting in the white section. A white lady wants to sit in Claudette's seat, but she refuses to give the white woman her seat. This non-action causes the police to arrest and file charges against her. Nine months later, a similar incident happened with another woman named Rosa Parks. The difference between these women is that Claudette's actions are ignored and met with suspicion, while civil rights leaders fully embrace Ms. Park's actions. Nevertheless, Ms. Colvin's "committment to combating justice, however, was unaffected, and she remains an inspiring figure whom contemporary readers will be pleased to discover." ("Claudette Colvin's story," 2009)

Critical Analysis

The point of view of Claudette: Twice Toward Justice alternates between the first person and the third person. Claudette's character traits include courageousness and a strong-willed temperament. Themes include courage, perseverance, racism, and justice. Readers may like a similar book called Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 regarding civil rights activists in the South. The book's strength is that it tells a story that is representative of many other African American individuals during this era. Its weakness is that it cannot share the thousands of other African Americans' trials during this era..

Reference

"Claudette Colvin's story." (2009, January 15). Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/phillip-hoose/claudette-colvin/

Hoose, P. (2009). Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Farrar Straus Giroux.