Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus chronicles the story of an American family against the backdrop of one of the civil rights movement's lesser-known stories. In January 1957, Joseph Spagna and five other young men waited to board a city bus called the Sunnyland in Tallahassee, Florida. Their plan was simple but dangerous: ride the bus together-three blacks and three whites-get arrested, and take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fifty years later Ana Maria Spagna sets off on a journey to understand what happened and why. Spagna travels from her remote mountain home in the Pacific Northwest to contemporary Tallahassee, searching for the truth of the incident and her father's involvement. Her journey is complicated by the fact that her father never spoke of the Sunnyland experience and died unexpectedly when she was eleven. Seeking out the other bus riders, now in their seventies, Spagna tries to make sense of their conflicting stories. Her odyssey becomes further troubled by the sudden diagnosis of her mother's terminal cancer. Winner of the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction prize, Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus deftly weaves cultural and personal history, memoir, and reportage in this fascinating look at a family and a nation's past.
Ana Maria Spagna is the author of Now Go Home: Wilderness, Belonging, and the Crosscut Saw, which was named a Best Book of 2004 by the Seattle Times. Her work has appeared widely in publications such as Orion, Utne Reader, and North American Review. She lives and writes in Stehekin, Washington.
Part 1 - I Think I Can Serve 1 - In Front of Speed's 2 - Never Go Back 3 - The Tallahassee Bus Boycott 4 - The Acquaintance of Grief 5 - The Forgotten Coast 6 - Something More Part 2 - A Highly Personal Thing 7 - Handwriting 8 - Herndon 9 - The Cloven Hoof 10 - City of Hope 11 - Folsom 12 - Community Care 13 - A Real Difference 14 - Orchard Burning Part 3 - Fiftieth Anniversary 15 - Every. Single. Day. 16 - Tarpon Springs 17 - Not Forgotten 18 - Heroes and Sheroes 19 - Always Go Forward Epilogue - No Big Deal Acknowledgments
The story of an American family against the backdrop of one of the Civil Rights Movement's lesser known stories, the Tallahassee Bus Boycott
"Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus stands as a magnificent testament and tribute to the lives of many people---Ana Maria Spagna's parents, the many patriots of the civil rights movement, and the citizens of communities far and wide, large and small. Her surprising story renewed my awe in the interconnectedness of all of our lives and affirmed that the current championing of hope in our country is a hope deserving of all its fervor." Kathleen Finneran, author of The Tender Land: A Family Love Story "Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus is an absorbing story of a daughter's search to understand her father's involvement in the civil rights movement. While Ana Maria Spagna's ability to capture the nuances of her father's life is impressive, it is the wonder and persistence she brings to her tale that make this such an engaging book. Any daughter who has puzzled over the mystery of her heritage will love Spagna from the get-go." Danielle Trussoni author of Falling Through the Earth
