Daughter of the Boycott: Carrying On a Montgomery Family's Civil Rights Legacy

by Karen Gray Houston

In 1950, before Montgomery, Alabama, knew Martin Luther King Jr., before Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger, before the city’s famous bus boycott, a Negro man named Hilliard Brooks was shot and killed by a white police officer in a confrontation after he tried to board a city bus. Thomas Gray, who had played football with Hilliard when they were kids, was outraged by the unjustifiable shooting. Gray protested, eventually staging a major downtown march to register voters, and standing up to police brutality.

Five years later, he led another protest, this time against unjust treatment on the city’s segregated buses. On the front lines of what became the Montgomery bus boycott, Gray withstood threats and bombings alongside his brother, Fred D. Gray, the young lawyer who represented Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and the rarely mentioned Claudette Colvin, a plaintiff in the case that forced Alabama to desegregate its buses.

An incredible story of family in the pivotal years of the civil rights movement, Daughter of the Boycott is the reflection of Thomas Gray’s daughter, award-winning broadcast journalist Karen Gray Houston, on how her father’s and uncle’s selfless actions changed the nation’s racial climate and opened doors for her and countless other African Americans.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Memoir

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2020

Reviews

[Michele Synegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily Digestible History

A history lesson about a very dark period in our nation balanced with events of victory, pride and joy. A must read!

[Lauretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about a very tumultuous time in US history. The authors provides some new information about the Montgomery Boycott, those who played pivotal roles, and about her growing up in an incredible family. The book strikes a fine balance between relating historical facts and a memoir of her experience of the times. It contextualizes the civil rights movement and provides a thoughtful perspective on how we, as a nation, might continue these efforts.

[Annette TS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal memoir of key figures in planning and executing the Montgomery bus "protest" in 1955, including the author's father and uncle, who of course knew Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. This book could also serve as manual for community organization, why a life of service builds a rich reservoir of respect, and and how to maintain lifelong friendships.

[Clover Nyderek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting...read this for book club and met the Author...liked the author and her story!

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard of Fred Gray but not about his older brother Thomas. Hope a book is written about all the Gray siblings.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book. Despite the shortness of pages it's very well detailed.