Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2023 Gr 2–6—The heartbreaking story of Emmett Till is shared with great emotional depth. Using cut-paper collage and lyrical storytelling, Joy and Washington revive Mamie Till-Mobley's story. The brilliant, loving mother of Emmett was a child of the Great Migration. Mamie and her family moved up from Mississippi to Argo, a Chicago suburb, where the studious girl worked hard to graduate at the top of her class. She married Louis Till, and after a strenuous birth, their only son arrived. Though doctors predicted he would have severe cognitive and motor delays, Mamie insisted on bringing Emmett home. Louis turned violent, and Mamie refused to tolerate the behavior. Now with just his mother and grandmother, Emmett grew into a kind boy who played joyfully in the streets of Argo until he fell ill with polio. The disease left him with a stutter, which his ingenious mother helped him circumvent using a clever trick of stopping when he was stuck on a word and whistling to calm him before he continued speaking. Unfortunately, like Mamie before them, readers are powerless to stop Emmett's fateful trip to Mississippi. They cannot stop Emmett's alleged whistle, the white woman's lie, the white kidnappers' murder, or the jury's unjust verdict. The symbolic red and blue colors in the collage, weaving Mamie and Emmett's lives and stories together, creates a beautiful artistic tapestry. With rich language and a wealth of knowledge in the back matter, this text has depth and usefulness for a broad audience. VERDICT An essential purchase for all libraries.—Abby Bussen - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2023 *Starred Review* When Mamie Till-Mobley was a child in the 1920s, her family left Mississippi for the relative freedom of the Chicago area. Soon after high school, she married and had a son, Emmett. His father left the family, but she surrounded her child with love and, when he contracted polio, nursed him back to health. In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett left Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi, where he was brutally murdered. His body, “bruised / scarred / swollen,” was recovered from the river and his mother bravely insisted that the sheriff send his remains home. His body was displayed in an open coffin. Later, after sitting in the courtroom while Emmett’s murderers were found “not guilty,” she courageously began speaking out against racist violence in lectures credited with significantly moving the twentieth-century civil rights movement forward. Joy’s text, written in free verse, tells of Emmett Till’s death within the context of his mother’s love and her determination to work for racial justice. The powerful, distinctive artwork was cut from sheets of black paper to create distinctive portrayals of people and their surroundings, with layers of tissue paper added to bring color, warmth, and coherence to the pages. A moving, memorable picture book. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.