Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/12/2024 Gr 7 Up—Saade poignantly presents a graphic memoir about his cousin's tumultuous journey to the United States from El Salvador. Framed by a conversation that the adult cousins have while taking a long drive, Carlos's migrant account is narrated to his graphic novelist cousin for the first time. The flashback chapters are done in bright colors, and the present-day chapters are depicted with a more muted palette of sepia and grays. The subject was 18 years old when he and his mother left El Salvaldor because of financial troubles. The teen didn't want his mother to travel alone across several borders, at the mercy of coyotes and the harrowing terrains. Along the way, they meet other migrants, risk their lives constantly, get swindled, and undergo several threats, such as drowning and kidnapping. Still, they bond with fellow travel companions. The love between mother and son is the key to their survival. The nostalgia-filled volume captures the life-or-death experience that Carlos and his mother lived through and their longing to return home, even though they can't. While it's a personal narrative, it speaks to the many stories of migrants everywhere. VERDICT This stirring work gives a face to the very real experiences of thousands who must make the same treacherous journey. Purchase both editions for graphic novel and memoir collections.—Shelley M. Diaz - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.