This is a case where the original book this is based on works a lot better than the comic book translation. The story is about Claudette Colvin, a teenager who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama in 1955 a few months before Rosa Parks did. Colvin was only 15 at the time but shortly after her trial became pregnant and was forgotten by history even though she was part of the group of women in the Rosa Parks case. There's some things said in the comic about how the women were sidelined by men as well. However, the message is muddled and almost comes across as that's the way it should be. Part of it may be the translation.

It's a story from a battle that still is being fought today in the battle for equal rights. It's just not told well in this story. The art is terrible. Everyone looks like little ants and it's really difficult to tell any of the characters apart. It reads like a prose work that a terrible cartoonist tried to add illustrations to and that's pretty much what it is.

This was such a great graphic novel. I had never heard about Claudette Colvin and what she went through until I read this book. I thought that it was well researched and well put together. The story flows very well and I think the author did a great job of keeping all of the events straight. Overall a great read that I think everyone should read.

I love Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice and am very pleased that I can now offer my struggling readers the story of this civil rights pioneer.

Okay, now I'm angry at myself. I got this book in May, but it took me until now to read it.

And I'm speechless.

The segregation, Jim Crow and then the Civil Rights Movement. I read so much about those, and it still surprises me how much I still do not know. It's a fascinating topic and terrifying at the same time. Of course, I'm not an American, so, my perspective is a bit different. Sometimes this feels like a very distant history to me, which is not. I believe that the distance (different continent) makes it seem that way since I do not have any real connection to that part of history, space, relatives, or something.

Back to the story. We all heard about Rosa Parks, and it surprised me that there was someone who may have inspired her. I never heard about Claudette Colvin, and it made me rethink what I know about the desegregation movement.
Going through this story, I realised that I was familiar with so many people, even Fred Gray but not her. I also knew the Browder v. Gayle case but still not her. Terrifying how easy is it to fade.

"Your actions alone speak volumes; there's no need to speak."

"Everyone clapped for Rosa Parks, but she wasn't asked to speak."

(Both referring to Rosa Parks)

I really need to refresh my knowledge of the movement. Because I never realised how women were sidelined in it. How Claudette Colvin was feared to tarnish its image because she was pregnant, unmarried teenager.

I'm glad that Claudette is now (hopefully) getting the recognition she deserves and at the same time, I wonder if there are more of these heroes who faded in the background.

I also liked the visual; colours were well chosen to accompany the story. The art was simple enough that the book would be accessible to children, but at the same time, it was realistic enough that adult reader is not distracted by it.

I liked the illustration and the attention paid to the context of the tale. I would recommend the book for middle to high school and even then I think there needs to be a discussion guide for teachers who may not know how to deliver the content. This story is new to a lot of people and it flies in the face of the old school rhetoric about non-violence and stoic endurance that black people were expected to exhibit. That will make people uncomfortable.

Enjoyed this book. It was amazing. I found it to be funny and entertaining. A must read and very well written. I would recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin by Emilie Plateau tells the story of the first Black woman to not give up her seat to a white person during the time of Jim Crow laws, This book is especially important for historical pretense because it reveals the little known true story of how Claudette Colvin was not supported in her protest and was instead pre-judged because she was a teenager.

Most people have been taught Rosa Parks was the first woman to not give up her seat but that's because the NAACP did not want to support on Claudette Colvin's fight because they felt she was a "bad representative" for them because of her age. Then, Claudette had to sue the state of Alabama to prove she was not guilty of small crimes she was being accused of. Even when the NAACP did not want her to be a representative in the fight for civil rights, she kept trying. She becomes one of five women to attack segregation laws before a federal court. This is one of the major incidents to spark the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott.

"Colored" leads the reader through the adult life of Claudette Calvin until the age of 79 and shows how an activist lives unassumingly following one of the largest civil rights fights and victories and after being forced to leave the South.

This book does a great job illustrating the fight for desegregation and bringing the reader into the lives of Black people--Coloreds-- of Mongomery, Alabama in the 1950s. It presents some of the tragedies and violence that happened and causes the reader to reflect on injustices occurring today.

Through "Colored," author Emile Plateau gives Claudette Colvin and her family the credit and place in history that they deserve. Just like the lone street named Claudette Calvin Drive in Montgomery.

Sadly, I have never heard of Claudette and her story until this book! Informative and interesting to read. A reminder of what isn't taught in schools. I recommend this book to everyone.

Before today, I had never heard of Claudette Colvin. It was nice to learn about the girl/woman who started the protest of segregation on buses, by refusing to give up her seat to a white person.

Claudette went through so much and had to start her life over where nobody knew her. This was a harrowing depiction of what she went through, along with other African American people.

These stories need to be told.

Like most, I've heard of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but never of Claudette Colvin, who preceded Rosa Parks in the protesting act of not giving up her seat in the bus for a White passenger. Though her name slowly became invisible in this history of resisting bus segregation, because she wasn't the "right kind" of woman to be the face of it.

This is not to pit Parks and Colvin against each other, but to pinpoint the patriarchal norms that has consistently erased women from history. The gendered lens that this graphic memoir took also highlighted some interesting points of how the voices of Parks & the other women who testified for the landmark trial were rarely elevated, if not entirely muted.

I'd probably want to read more about this part of history, but this was a great start. This was a compelling 5-star read!

Before reading this graphic novel, I had never heard of Claudette Colvin.
Her story is very interesting and eye-opening: Claudette refused to give her seat on a bus to a white woman and was arrested at the age of 15. Her story is not as widely known as the one of Rosa Parks.

Emilie Plateau gives justice to the figure of Claudette, honoring her gestures and life. The palette of the illustrations was chosen carefully:different nuances of browns are used to paint the life during the segregation of Black people in the Southern part of America.
Really loved the book and highly recommend it!

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

An interesting history of a person who was unknown to me. I appreciated the care that the author took to bring forth the story of a young black woman whose story mirrored Rosa Parks.

Without a doubt one of the best graphic novel depictions of a true life person that I have ever read. Excellent job and a great resource.

Colored: the unsung life of Claudette Colvin isn’t a book that I would usually pick up from the library, but when I was scrolling through NetGalley, the title of the novel caught my eye. As a graphic novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of storytelling with pictures versus words.

Every student in the United States who has passed middle school has heard the name Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., but has anyone ever heard of Claudette Colvin? This is one of those moments where I feel that our education system has let down the students. Why is it that we only hear the names of one or two influential African American individuals, when there is clearly a larger story?

Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin gives us a beautiful, and heart wrenching story of a young 15 year old African American woman who was raised by her family in Montgomery, Alabama. Claudette attends school and follows the rules of transportation just like all her classmates, but when confronted to give up her seat to a white man, she says no because she has paid her ticket just like everyone else. This sets off a cascading series of events where she is arrested and is tried as an adult for her crimes.

The story of Claudette Colvin is told in a simple way; one that would easily transcend high school classrooms around the country. The graphics further provide a sense of the feeling from the time, that you can’t understand from the words on the page. The graphics are able to provide a glimpse into the history of the moment – the police pulling Claudette off the bus, Rosa Park’s receiving national attention for not giving up her seat on the bus, the men taking over the boycott.

The introduction to Claudette’s story takes the reader to a place where you are supposed to leave your environment and focus solely on the story of Claudette. Emile Plateau instructs the reader to take a deep breath and envision yourself moving from your location through time and ultimately ending up in the 1950s as a colored person from Alabama. That imagery takes a hold of the reader – especially one that has learned about United States history and segregation in the South during that time.

Another key piece of history that is shown through Claudette’s life is how the men of the 1950s believed that they were better equip at handling the legal problems of the African American population. The story shows how they did not fully explain what was happening in the courts to the women and discarded the women who were no longer necessary to their court case.

How many of you have heard of Mary Louise Smith or Jeanetta Reese? How many of you have heard of Claudette Colvin?

Colored: the unsung life of Claudette Colvin was simple and powerful. I would recommend to anyone interested in another truth of history.

Before reading this book, I had never heard of a Claudette Colvin. Very good read and a eye opener. I hope many people read this book. Lots of information. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

Prior to reading Colored, I’ve never heard about Claudette Colvin. My American history is very limited and knew only basic points of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. Being of a minority race in my country, I would never had survived if I were to live like Claudette. Made me feel that I take racial (and religious) harmony for granted.

This book was amazing. The art was phenomenal and the narrative innovative. Everybody has heard of Rosa Parks and not enough have heard of Claudette Colvin. Her role in the Civil Rights Movement has been all but erased and this is problematic for many reasons that I won't bore you with here. Hopefully this book helps bring more light to the part Claudette Colvin played.

I will admit that before reading this book I had never heard of Claudette Colvin. After reading this I can definitely say I know who she is, but I don't feel all the informed. I think this is because the book, while approachable and well formatted, doesn't actually have that much information on her. I think this book showcases a really important point about history though that behind every important story is many other voices who didn't suit becoming a spearhead for the issue. And even though Rosa Parks became the figurehead she really didn't do much speaking. I really did enjoy the book but I wish there had been a bit more info on key dates or even other important figureheads during the segregation movie.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this for a fair review. :)

'Colored: The unsung life of Claudette Colvin with art and text by Emilie Plateau is a graphic novel adaptation of the book "Noire" by Tania de Montagne.

Told in a sort of second person narrative, the reader is put in to a story about a young woman living in a town under Jim Crow laws. When she is thrown off a bus and thrown in jail, she wants to start a bus boycott. This is not Rosa Parks. This is Claudette Colvin and this happened a few months before Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott.

Why is one person famous and not another? Why is it Rosa Parks we remember and not Cladette or possible other people? History can be picky that way and this story tells that along with a little known story.

The art is good with a limited color palette used to good effect. I liked the subtle signs in the shop windows showing the shops that were friendly and not friendly.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

First of all thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review:
This graphic novel is a very interesting read about the unsung life of Claudette Colvin, who, when she was only 15 years old, protested against segregation, refusing to let her seat to a white man on the bus. I really don’t know why, but even if I know something about Rosa Parks, I’ve never heard anything about Claudette.
The story is powerful and fascinating and I loved learning history through a graphic novel.
Another thing I loved was the final section with the historical notes, which features some important things and people related to the segregation.

One big issue for me, even if everyone else seems to love it, was the very very simple art style. I have to admit that it was just too simple for me. I really love art and I love drawing, so when I read graphic novels I always look forward to enjoy some great art. However, I really liked the monochrome palette!
The writing was very simple and straightforward and I think it suited the vibe the author was going for.


Specific Ratings:

Plot: 5 out of 5
Cover: 4 out of 5
Writing: 4 out of 5
Interest: 4 out of 5
Art style: 2 out of 5