Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2018 Gr 3 Up—With a title that references the late Lorraine Hansberry's phrase "young, gifted and black," this exuberant collected biography is one readers won't want to miss. Students are invited to explore one and two-page vignettes of 52 compelling figures in black culture worldwide. Each profile recounts their beginnings and marvelous feats as scientists, writers, athletes, artists, or activists, both past and present. Exquisitely designed, each illustrated portrait is thickly outlined, colored digitally, and illuminated by irradiating forms that resemble papel picado. Each written entry follows a precise format: a clear definition of the person in a larger sans-serif font; the same but smaller font for the text; a bold handwriting font for a highlighted quote; and an outlined, all-caps font for the inventive titles given to each, such as "Conductor" for Harriet Tubman, "Soul-Singing Superstar" for Solange, and "Chess Grandmaster" for Maurice Ashley. There is not a chronology or categories. There is a back matter and a "Hall of Fame" photo album—like index of black-and-white headshots, each framed with a name banner and page number. In the preface, New York—based activist author Wilson and illustrator Pippins pinpoint the importance of telling stories of black success with the adage that "if you can't see it, you can't be it." VERDICT Share this book widely across generations as a launching point for more discoveries.—Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2018 Fifty-two black men and women, past and present, are introduced in this eye-catching book. Readers receive short bios about subjects that include icons (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman); celebrities and athletes (Oprah, the Williams sisters, Louis Armstrong); and some people whose names are less familiar, such as Samuel Coleridge Taylor, a mixed-race English composer who worked at the turn of the last century. The book gets most of its points for the breadth of its coverage and its dynamic design and artwork. The oversize volume has a pop-art sensibility, depicting every subject in a folk-art style surrounded by design work and, often, items representative of their careers. These are accompanied by biographical information five or six paragraphs long, along with a highlighted quote. Information so concise does leave out a lot: for instance, there is no mention of the affect Oprah Winfrey’s father had on her life, nor Muhammad Ali’s issues with serving in the U.S. Army. But the visuals will draw kids, and the bios may be just enough to spur readers onward. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.