Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2014 Gr 5 Up—Photojournalist Matthews has compiled many of her recent photos, sensitively shedding light on the effects of children growing up with war. The book begins with an overview of how Matthews became a photographer, the challenges of working in conflict zones, and some material on the photographic equipment she uses. The author incorporates images from a variety of situations: refugees in Gaza, children in Kurdistan who fled Iraq, and a training school for midwives in Afghanistan, among others. Matthews uses the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as an outline, fitting her photos and illustrative text into this framework, with mixed results. For instance, in order to illustrate the right to affection, love, and understanding, she includes several young girls and adolescents forced to marry due to the deaths of their fathers in war: a somewhat awkward example. It is perhaps inevitable that a book depicting different people, cultures, and circumstances lacks a unifying flow. Also, the accompanying text is choppy. Overall, though, the stories of disruption, stress, pain, and misery brought about by war are clear and strong. The photographs are powerful and well captioned. Realistic and somber, they give readers an illustration of the true face of war without verging on graphic or gruesome. Back matter provides further material on the conflicts of the places Matthews photographed. While educators might be tempted to relegate this book to the realm of school reports, it's an important work that many should see. Recommended for school libraries and larger public libraries.—Lisa Crandall, formerly at the Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.