PublishedTarcher Jp, March 2015 |
ISBN9780399173899 |
FormatHardcover, 224 pages |
Dimensions21.6cm × 14cm |
In this most intimate portrait yet of a great American hero, 'the lady who wouldn't give up her seat on the bus,' the family of Rosa Parks describes the woman who was not only the mother of the civil rights movement, but a nurturing mother figure to them as well.
Her brave act on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955, was just one moment in a life lived with great humility and decency. In Our Auntie Rosa, Mrs. Parks's loved ones share their remembrances and reflections to create a previously unpainted picture of the real woman behind the legend. Rose Parks largely disappeared from the public when she and her husband, Raymond, relocated to Detroit in 1957, escaping violently racist south. It was in Detroit where Mrs. Parks reconnected with her only sibling, Sylvester McCauley, whom she affectionately called 'Brother,' and her thirteen nieces and nephews. Years later, after Raymond's and Sylvester's deaths, these children would become her only family, and the closest that she would ever experience to having biological sons and daughters. Mrs. Parks would go on to receive the 1996 Presidential Medal of Freedom and a spot on Time's list of the hundred most influential people of the twentieth century, as well as forty-three honorary doctorate degrees, and have dozens of city streets, community centers, and monuments named for her - to mention just a few tributes. Yet the woman her family knew as 'Auntie Rosa' was a soft-spoken person whom very few people actually knew. In this book, her family shares with readers what she shared with them about her experiences growing up in a racist South, her deep dedication to truth and justice, and the personal values she held closest to her heart. Featuring rare family photos, keepsakes, and correspondence, Our Auntie Rosa is a life's instruction manual from one of the most famous figures in American history that will inspire generations to come. Praise for Our Auntie Rosa 'Rosa Parks inspired millions of Americans in 1955, including a nine-year-old boy in Arkansas learning about her story. Through the pages of Our Auntie Rosa, her family captures the quiet dignity - and commanding conviction - of one of the civil rights movement's bravest champions.' President Bill Clinton 'For years Mrs. Rosa Parks's family graciously shared her with the world. Yet the civil rights icon revered as the 'Mother of the Movement' was also their beloved 'Auntie Rosa,' and with Our Auntie Rosa they are now just as generously sharing their personal memories and photographs to give us all a chance to better know the extraordinary real woman and family whose courage changed history.' Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund 'What a joy to discover that Rosa Parks, an international figure and 'Mother of The Movement,' was as dignified and heroic a private woman as she was a civil rights icon. This beautiful tribute, lovingly written by family members, completes the picture of a twentieth-century inspiration. As compelling as what she sat down for on a bus is what she stood for at home.' Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The First Phone Call from Heaven 'A glimpse into the private life of an extraordinary woman who played her part in American history with courage, intelligence and grace. We are inspired by her life and forever grateful to her family for sharing her with us all.' Pearl Cleage, author of Things I Should Have Told My Daughter 'Our Auntie Rosa is a powerful new telling and an insightful love note from Rosa Parks's nieces and nephews . . . This is a critical and contemplative immersion into their stories of their aunt, and is a must-read if we are to accurately understand one of our natio
