Maine author wins National Book Award
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Associated Press - November 19, 2009 11:54 AM ET
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - 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.
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