Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2020 Gr 9 Up—Blumenthal provides a forthright deep dive into the history of reproductive rights from the 1800s until modern times. She relays details about the legal cases that helped change the way women could make choices about their bodies. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the history of women's health and also obtain insight into the lives of the women who braved it all. The author discusses exactly how limiting reproductive rights impacted women of color and women living in poverty, including information about the horrors of forced sterilization. The more sordid histories of some reproductive rights advocates are also not glossed over, such as Margaret Sanger's support for eugenics. Short vignettes cover a fact, person, or short history previously mentioned in the chapter. The closer looks at statistics, time lines, and injustices flow with the overall narrative structure. Photographs put faces to the names of those mentioned. A glossary of legal and medical terms, a time line of events, a list of significant Supreme Court cases on abortion and reproductive rights, a bibliography, and an extensive list of source notes round out this methodically researched work. VERDICT An excellent purchase for public and high school nonfiction collections.—Molly Dettmann, Norman North High School, OK - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2020 *Starred Review* Though it doesn’t seem like a radical thought, a woman’s right to decide what happens to her own body, her pregnancy, and her reproductive organs has been a centuries-long debate in the U.S. In her latest work of nonfiction for young adults, Sibert-nominated Blumenthal (Six Days in October, 2002) plunges headfirst into the murky waters surrounding not just the complex history of the Roe v. Wade landmark case, but of the century in American history that led to the ruling. In measured but powerful chapters, she lays out the facts, diving into the restrictions—and shady medical practices—surrounding not only abortion but birth control, sterilization, and sexual education. In highlighting key figures, Blumenthal is clear to distinguish important work from darker histories—she doesn’t leave out Margaret Sanger’s association with the eugenics movement—offering a full picture of a complicated issue. She lingers, too, on the uneasy future of Roe v. Wade, a decision that was once thought to be the final word on the subject. But what makes this book a cut above is her enduring recognition that reproductive rights restrictions have always been a way for people in power to further racist, classist agendas. Thoroughly sourced and accompanied by black-and-white photos and “Pregnant Pause” sidebars, this essential guide, which gives voices to vulnerable populations, demands to be heard. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.