Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 04/01/2020 *Starred Review* This large-format anthology features a diverse set of 15 notable Americans’ speeches, including Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Lou Gehrig’s “Farewell to Baseball,” John F. Kennedy’s “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream,” and Cesar Chavez’s address to the Commonwealth Club of California, 1984. Most of the speeches are one or two pages long; after editing, only one of the others extends to five pages. Preceding each selection, Bolden provides a well-researched, informative section that introduces the speaker and places the speech within a meaningful framework by discussing events, attitudes, and social movements of its time. This commentary is vital for the many young readers who lack the historical context needed to understand the speech’s importance. Bolden also notes when historians question the accuracy of reported speeches with no verifiable written records, such as Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give me Death” and Sojourner Truth’s “I Am a Woman’s Rights.” Velasquez contributes a series of stately, sometimes dramatic paintings portraying the orators, their audiences, and their times, helping young people connect visually with each historical period. His appended illustrator’s note is quite moving. A wide-ranging collection of speeches and a worthwhile resource for students of American history. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.