Children's Books: Review

As she tells about herself in this engaging autobiography, written with [Jim Haskins], it was with encouragement from her parents, her teachers, Raymond Parks (later her husband) and a few white friends that Mrs. Parks developed a strong, sensitive, proud personality that disposed her to stand up for her rights. "Maybe the habit of protecting my little brother helped me learn to protect myself," she writes. "I do know that I had a very strong sense of what was fair. That attitude got me into trouble sometimes." She became an active member and officer of the Montgomery branch of the N.A.A.C.P. "I'm going to have you arrested," the driver said. "You may do that," [ROSA PARKS] replied. She was arrested, convicted of violating the segregation laws, fined $10 and given a suspended sentence. With remarkable strength and unity, the black community rallied behind her in what became the world-famous Montgomery bus boycott, led by the new minister in town, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.