	Login Cart Advanced Search
Our List Bestsellers Current Bestsellers All-Time Bestsellers Activism General Economic Justice Environmental Justice Education Reform Racial Justice Community Action Immigration Reform American Society General Anthropology Cultural Studies General Latin American Native American Myths Made In America Economics Law and Society Philosophy Sociology Sports and Society Child and Family Issues Adoption General Media and Technology Beacon Classics Biography and Memoir Autobiography and Memoir Biography Disability Disability Environment and Conservation Energy and Climate Conservation Food and Agriculture Wildlife Nature and Environment Concord Library Series Gardening General Biography and Memoir Feminism and Gender Feminism Gender Women's History Women's Literature Black Women Writers Bluestreak Series General Women's Lives Sexuality Biography and Memoir History American History General Early American History 19th Century American History 20th Century American History 21st Century American History African American History General The King Legacy ReVisioning History Adult Editions Young Readers Editions World History Africa Asia Central and South America Europe Middle East Literature and the Arts Fiction Poetry Nonfiction General Essays Food and Society Letters Memoirs Queer Perspectives Multicultural Interest African American Asian American Caribbean Latin American Middle Eastern Native American South Asian By Series Black Women Writers Bluestreak Concord Writers Young Adult Music The Arts National Poetry Series Raised Voices Poetry Series Politics and Current Events Politics and Current Events Progressive Education LGBT Issues Books for K-12 Classroom Use Teaching and the Classroom Higher Education History of Education Race and Education School Reform and Policy Race Education Democracy Series Queer Perspectives Education and Youth Fiction General Memoir Religion and Sexuality Queer Ideas Queer Action Transgender Perspectives Transgender Voices Also of Interest Race and Ethnicity in America General African American History African American Literature Fiction and Poetry Nonfiction Black Women Writers Celebrating Black Women Writers King Legacy Series Race Education Democracy Series Religion How We Live Our Beliefs Pluralism Buddhism Christianity African American Theology Catholicism Early Christianity General Protestant Islam Judaism Unitarian Universalism World Religions Gender and Sexuality Inspiration Science and Medicine Public Health Medicine Science Psychology Women's Health YA and Children's Audiobooks Books by Mary Oliver Poetry and Prose Audiobooks Fall 2024 Spring 2025 Summer 2025 Blog About About Beacon Address and Directions Awards Booksellers and Librarians Catalogs Staff Distribution Sales and Ordering Submission Guidelines Contact Customer Service Author Appearances Jobs and Internships Media Requests Rights and Permissions Resources Book Banning Resources Desk and Exam Copy Information Reading Guides Teacher Guides Guides for UUs and Book Groups Social Impact

Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Author: Jeanne Theoharis

“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 6 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 the 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 6 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.

INTRODUCTION TO THE 2025 EDITION
Ten Ways to Be Like Rosa Parks in the Age of Black Lives Matter

INTRODUCTION TO THE 2015 EDITION
“Freedom Fighters Never Retire”

INTRODUCTION
National Honor/Public Mythology:
The Passing of Rosa Parks

CHAPTER ONE
“A Life History of Being Rebellious”:
The Early Years of Rosa McCauley Parks

CHAPTER TWO
“It Was Very Difficult to Keep Going When All Our Work Seemed to Be in Vain”:
The Civil Rights Movement before the Bus Boycott

CHAPTER THREE
“I Had Been Pushed As Far As I Could Stand to Be Pushed”:
Rosa Parks’s Bus Stand

CHAPTER FOUR:
“There Lived a Great People”:
The Montgomery Bus Boycott

CHAPTER FIVE
“It Is Fine to Be a Heroine but the Price Is High”:
The Suffering of Rosa Parks

CHAPTER SIX
“The Northern Promised Land That Wasn’t”:
Rosa Parks and the Black Freedom Struggle in Detroit

CHAPTER SEVEN
“Any Move to Show We Are Dissatisfied”:
Mrs. Parks in the Black Power Era

CONCLUSION
“Racism Is Still Alive”:
Negotiating the Politics of Being a Symbol

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
NOTES
INDEX