Bound To Stay Bound

View MARC Record
 

Full Text Reviews:

School Library Journal - 06/01/2013 Gr 5–7—Parry blends Native American folklore and culture with historical fiction to portray a 13-year-old girl who tries to remain true to the ways of her Makah tribe. Pearl's mother and baby sister died in the flu pandemic of 1918; five years later, her father loses his life on a whaling expedition, leaving her an orphan. She strives for ways to make a sustainable living while preserving her Pacific Northwest tribe's traditional practices of working with the land and its resources. Pearl's dream of becoming a whaler like her father is unrealistic, both because women are not allowed to hunt whales and because the whale population is rapidly diminishing. When an art collector approaches the tribe to purchase cultural artifacts for a museum, Pearl is suspicious. She uncovers his true agenda: he wants to tap the community's natural energy resources to the detriment of her people's livelihood. Realistic and insightful, Parry's novel succeeds in depicting a picture of one girl's experience to preserve her people's dignity and values in a rapidly changing modern world.—Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2013 When the whaling canoe returns to the Makah village on the Olympic peninsula, Pearl’s father is not in it among her uncles and cousins. As the daughter of the revered harpooner, Pearl once enjoyed elevated status, but now that she’s ophaned, her restlessness and lack of carefully nurtured domestic skills have become problematic for both her and her paternal grandparents who care for her. The village as a whole is facing its own set of challenges: the whales seem to have abandoned them, white authorities have curtailed or outlawed many of the sacred customs, such as the potlatch, and now they must move inland to live among salmon fishers. Pearl admires her cousin, Susi, who lives independently in town as postmaster, buying her own clothes, and enjoying such modern delights as the latest Charlie Chaplin films. Stepping into the white community has its costs, though, as Pearl learns when a man claiming to be a collector for the Art Institute in New York arrives to bargain for tribal masks and regalia, forcing the cash-strapped Makah people to evaluate how to balance financial and cultural survival in post-World War I America. Parry successfully melds Pearl’s quieter coming-of-age story with a faster-paced mystery plot concerning the true agenda of “art collector” Arthur Glen and the efforts of the Makah teens to thwart his predatory activities. Framing chapters focused on Pearl in her old age assure readers that the tribal knowledge and customs are endangered but not extinct, and closing notes address historical background and respect for maintaining the secrecy of certain stories and rituals. EB - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 06/01/2013 In a brief framework story set in 1999 in northwest Washington State, an elderly Makah Indian named Pearl walks toward the ocean, singing a song remembered from her childhood to welcome the whale brought home after a traditional hunt. The time shifts to 1923, when 13-year-old Pearl learns that her father was lost at sea during a whale hunt. She finds strength and comfort in her extended family and their traditions, while recognizing that the world around them is encroaching on their way on life. Meanwhile, a supposed art collector attempts to trick Pearl’s elders into signing away valuable mineral rights. While struggling with grief, Pearl begins to discover her strengths and how she can use them for the good of her people. Parry, who once taught Makah and Quinault students, shows respect and restraint in bringing their traditional ways of life to the page. Skillfully using dialogue and sensory details to portray people and places, she creates a strong sense of Pearl’s individuality and of her people’s struggle. An informative author’s note is appended. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

View MARC Record
Loading...



  • Copyright © Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy