Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation [Hardcover]

Rosa Parks (Author), Gregory J. Reed (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 1994

On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This simple act of courage set in motion a chain of events that changed forever the landscape of American race relations. Now, Mrs. Parks speaks to us all about her life, her passion for freedom and equality, and her strong Christian faith.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Parks, one of the U.S.' authentic living legends, is the black lady who on December 1, 1955, refused to surrender her bus seat to a white man, was arrested under the Jim Crow law that required blacks to make way for whites, and thereby launched the yearlong bus boycott by blacks in Birmingham, Alabama, which led to the national overturning of that city's and similar segregation laws across the nation. In this tiny collection of what seem like outtakes from oral-history tapes, she rehearses her great day (as it seems from the perspective of history; Parks remembers it as "not a happy experience. . . . I had not planned to be arrested"), stressing that it wasn't, as many have romanticized, because her feet were tired that she didn't move, but because she was "tired of being oppressed . .ÿ20. just plain tired." Her remarks, disposed somewhat arbitrarily into sections topically named "Fear," "Pain," "Character," "Faith," "Values," reflect her lifelong commitment to justice for black Americans and to peace and equal opportunity for all. Further, she leaves no doubt that her persistence in these causes springs from her deep Christian faith and the obligation she feels to make a better world for future generations. Perhaps the sentiments are not all that special, but their speaker certainly is special. Ray Olson

From the Back Cover

On June 15, 1999, Mrs. Rosa Parks was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor -- a tribute to the power of one solitary woman to influence the soul of a nation. But awards and influence were far from her mind when, on December 1, 1955, she refused to move to the back of a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was not trying to start a movement. She was simply tired of social injustice and did not think a woman should be forced to stand so that a man could sit down. Yet her simple act of courage set in motion a chain of events that changed forever the landscape of American race relations. Quiet Strength celebrates the principles and convictions that have guided her through a remarkable life. It is a printed record of her legacy -- her lasting message to a world still struggling to live in harmony. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 93 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 1ST edition (August 26, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310501504
• ISBN-13: 978-0310501503
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this inspiring book about freedom and courage., November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation (Hardcover)

Quiet Strength, by Rosa Parks is an amazing display of one woman's journey to understanding why. Why she and her people needed to justify themselves. Why she had to sit a certain place on a bus. Why she was so tired. Rosa Parks is grounded in her source of Quiet Strength through her relationship with her Creator - God. This relationship has been reinforced by her family and culture. "Love, not fear must be our guide," Rosa states - I would recommend this book to every human being who has a heart and soul.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding (and now with a sad epilogue), November 2, 2005

By 

F - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quiet Strength (Paperback)

It's amazing: this one courageous woman who simply stood up for her beliefs on December 1, 1955 started one of the largest and most influential civil rights movements in history. This book truly reflects Ms. Parks' in her 'essence.' It is a small collection of her thoughts and experiences. Yet these thoughts convey a very personal and profound impact on anyone reading and meditating on them.

What is sad (as I have noted in my title) is the fact that Ms. Parks recently passed away at age 92, just 9 days before I worte this; her funeral was held today in Detroit. May she rest in peace.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BEAUTIFULLY-PROUCED BOOK BY A FOUNDER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, November 30, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation (Paperback)

This 1994 book (co-written with Gregory J. Reed) is separated into the following topics: Fear; Defiance; Injustice; Pain; Character; Role Models; Faith; Values; Quiet Strength; Determination; Youth; The Future; and includes both an introductory essay and a chronology of her life.

Here are some quotations from the book:

"When I sat down on the bus the day I was arrested, I was thinking of going home. I had made up my mind quickly about what it was that I had to do. I did not think of being physically tired or fearful... All I felt was tired. Tired of being pushed around. Tired of seeing the bad treatment and disrespect of children, women, and men just because of the color of their skin. Tired of Jim Crow laws. Tired of being oppressed. I was just plain tired." (Pg. 17)
"I did not get on the bus to get arrested; I got on the bus to get home. Getting arrested was one of the worst days in my life. It was not a happy experience." (Pg. 23)
"There were other people on the bus whom I knew. But when I was arrested, not one of them came to my defense. I felt very much alone. One man who knew my husband did not even go to my house to tell my husband that I had been arrested." (Pg. 24)
"It is funny to me how people came to believe that the reason I did not move from my seat was that my feet were tired. I did not hear this until I moved to Detroit in 1957." (Pg. 25)
"The church was and is the foundation of our community." (Pg. 31)
Concerning the 1994 robbery of her by a young black man, "I pray for this young man and the conditions in our country that have made him this way. I urge people not to read too much into the attack. I regret that some people, regardless of race, are in such a mental state that they would want to harm an older person." (Pg. 37)
"During the Montgomery bus boycott, we came together and remained unified for 381 days. It has never been done again. The Montgomery boycott became the model for human rights throughout the world." (Pg. 39)
"One thing we need to do is tell young people about our struggles for civil rights... They must be reminded that many people have died so that they can have what they have now." (Pg. 81)