This picture book, with atmospheric illustrations by Floyd Cooper, recreates a watershed moment in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950's, when Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white passenger on Montgomery's segregated bus system. The scene is presented through the eyes, words and consciousness of a young African-American boy who witnesses the unfolding drama from the back of the bus. Without fully understanding the politics of Rosa Parks' act of civil disobedience, the boy is affected by its emotional intensity and derives a sense of an awakening strength in his own community and himself.