Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 04/01/2021 This young readers’ edition of Batalion’s adult title (also 2021) highlights the war contributions of 14 young Jewish women (most of them Polish) during the Holocaust. Drawing upon interviews, diaries, and other sources, she recounts their numerous activities as couriers: paying off guards; smuggling food, medicine, weapons, and IDs; escaping the Warsaw Ghetto via the sewers; gathering intelligence; building underground bunkers; and assisting Jews to escape. Many of these women began as members of Jewish social service clubs (some of them Zionist); whether they were active resisters or more passively resilient (dying with dignity and respect), all contributed to the Nazis’ defeat. The narrative proceeds chronologically, with Renia Kukielka’s story serving to tie together the various other profiles. The writing is clear and concise and ends with Kukielka’s harrowing escape to Palestine in 1944. Appended with generous back matter and a section of black-and-white photos (not seen), this is a valuable addition to Holocaust literature, especially for its discussion of the PTSD and guilt that plagued those who survived. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/01/2021 Gr 8 Up—Batalion undertakes a huge task in describing the life and work of several unsung heroines among the resistance fighters in Hitler's Polish ghettos, namely Warsaw, Krakow, and Bedzin. These young women, aged in their late teens or early 20s, often served as smugglers or saboteurs, but many served as couriers, especially if they could pass as non-Jews or as Polish Christians. The women were more likely to be successful because young men would have been arrested. Fourteen young women, not all of the same (but cooperating) underground movements, are featured in this text. A list of the women at the beginning of the text is most helpful. In addition to their name, it often contains pronunciation, location, and the name of the underground group with which they were affiliated. The general format describes the life of each woman, how she functioned in her given tasks, and a brief description of her post-war life; some women went to Palestine to live, while others went and chose not to stay there. The text begins with a map of Poland and closes with an epilogue, an author's note, an acknowledgment, a glossary, source notes, and further reading. VERDICT A good selection to add depth to a WWII collection. Previous knowledge of the subject will be a necessity to fully understand this title.—Eldon Younce, Anthony P.L., KS - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.