Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 09/01/2017 Gr 2–5—Miriam Makeba was a South African singer who used her talent to challenge apartheid and to encourage South Africans to rail against injustice. Early in her career, Makeba decided to sing in Setswana, IsiXhosa, and IsiZulu precisely because the white ruling class did not speak those languages. A sense of rising tension is unmistakable throughout the text, and each of Makeba's hopeful successes is followed by further struggle, finally culminating in Nelson Mandela's release from prison and the slow end of apartheid in South Africa. Debut illustrator Palmer's painterly spreads shine in rich colors and bold brushstrokes, capturing the passion of Makeba mid-song. In other spreads, scenes of an armed white police officer demanding the transit pass of a black man who has stepped outside of his neighborhood boundary, and a lone child who has survived the massacre of school children at Soweto, all speak acutely to the landscape of apartheid that shaped Mama Africa's career. Erksine spent some of her childhood living in apartheid South Africa, and she shares her own experiences and connection to Makeba's music at length in the back matter. VERDICT A welcome addition to picture book biography collections.—Lauren Younger, New York Public Library - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/15/2017 This picture-book biography of Miriam Makeba shows how she used her voice, both spoken and in songs of protest, to raise awareness and help fight the system of apartheid in her native South Africa. Makeba spent her life in the effort of heightening understanding of and bringing an end to institutionalized segregation thrust upon African ethnic groups between 1948 and the early 1990s. Palmer’s striking, boldly colored illustrations reveal both movement and mood while adeptly revealing the story of Makeba’s life. The text is printed on wide strokes of alternating black and white paint, using the opposite color of ink on each. Some words—brave, voice, anger, watch, beware—are printed in red ink, which is more puzzling than impactful. Back matter includes an author’s note, a selected bibliography, and a glossary. Notable freedom fighters Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. are mentioned here, but this accessible biography will introduce children to a woman whose lifelong dedication to the abolishment of an unjust system made a difference. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.