Author wins award for Ala civil rights story

By Maine author win national honor for book about Ala woman

Portland, ME – - A Portland, Maine, author has won a
National Book Award for his book about a civil rights pioneer whose
refusal to give up her seat on an Alabama bus to a white woman
helped set the stage for desegregation of public transportation in
the South.
Phillip Hoose won the young people's literature award for
"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice." The 60th annual
National Book Awards were held Wednesday night in New York.
Hoose's book is based on the true story of Claudette Colvin, who
as a 15-year-old schoolgirl was dragged off a bus in Montgomery,
Ala., for refusing to give up her bus seat months before a similar
incident made Rosa Parks a symbol of defiance.
Colvin joined Hoose on stage as he accepted the award.