Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (2009)

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is a 2009 young adult nonfiction book by Phillip Hoose, recounting the experiences of Claudette Colvin in Montgomery, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement.

Plot

This book covers the experiences of Claudette Colvin in the 1950s, focusing on her role in the Civil Rights Movement and her involvement in the Browder v. Gayle trial. Colvin's case is important because she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus when she was 15 years old, nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.

Critical reception

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice gained generally positive reviews from critics. They praised the young adult biography for giving Colvin the recognition she never received back in 1955. The Wall Street Journal said "History might have forgotten Claudette Colvin, or relegated her to footnote status, had writer Phillip Hoose not stumbled upon her name in the course of other research and tracked her down." And the Chicago Tribune says, “Hoose makes the moments in Montgomery come alive, whether it’s about Claudette’s neighborhood, her attorneys, her pastor or all the different individuals in the civil rights movement who paths she crossed . . . . An engrossing read.”

Awards and distinctions

2009 winner, National Book Award for Young People's Literature

2010 Newbery Honor Book

2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

2010 finalist, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

2014 list, YALSA Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners: History and Cultures

2009 Top Ten list, Amazon.com's Editors' Picks: Best Books for Teens

2010 list, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices

2010 Honor Book for Older Children, Jane Addams Children's Book Awards

2009 list, Booklist Top 10 Biographies for Youth

2009 Nonfiction list, Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of the Year

2011 Master List, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award

2010 Nonfiction list, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best