Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/01/2025 *Starred Review* Taking his cues from established scientific evidence, Smith transports readers hundreds of thousands of years back, to modern humanity's original ancestors in Africa. The opening image is of an outstretched hand, finger extended in a parallel to Michelangelo's Creation of Adam—except this hand has dark skin. From there, a series of stunning spreads trace the progress of the human race, punctuating each development with a we statement: We painted, we crafted, we orchestrated . . . music, we became inventors, we were architects, we grew, we healed, we saw worlds beyond our own, we set sail, we explored. Each chapter of our history is set upon gorgeous painted landscapes or scenes of human ingenuity in action, always featuring a brown-skinned figure. Joy, struggle, and innovation are displayed throughout the ages, not only laying out a wide-spanning history but also upending the problematic idea that civilization began much later and that it was rooted in whiteness. A final spread shows a crowd of people, the extended cousins in an array of diverse complexions and forms of prayer, showing every modern race that evolved out of our common ancestors. Excellent back matter adds more specifics to the story of each spread within, and an author's note makes a moving case for the value of this book and of remembering the shared origins of our global community. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.