Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/01/2022 K-Gr 3—Kunja Subbulakshmi sings with her grandmother, mother, and sister as they play the violin, tambura, and veena. Her brother plays a mridangam. Her instrument is her voice, and this takes place at home, for in early-1900s India, she is not allowed to sing in public. So Subbulakshmi breaks some rules to perform at small festivals. Then she makes an album. It takes time and persistence for her to break down barriers, until the day when an illustrious academy that had rejected her finally allows her to perform. History is truly made when Ghandi asks that she sing for India's freedom. This true story will fascinate and charm children who will wonder that the simple act of a girl singing is not permitted. The author does not gloss over the hardships. The illustrations with colorful backdrops and historical details show scene after scene of Subbulakshmi in a closed-eye, beatific state of singing; these are very moving at first though do become repetitive. In a very few pages the book covers India's tumultuous and sorrowful path to independence, a bittersweet depiction that may launch discussion of the costs of freedom. Back matter includes information about Carnatic music, a glossary, time line, and bibliography. VERDICT A wonderful biography for every collection.—Kimberly Olson Fakih - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 12/01/2022 This straightforward biography chronicles the life of a woman who is well known throughout India and its diaspora. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi—aka young Kunja—is raised in a musical home and trained from an early age in the Carnatic tradition of South India. Her family, recognizing her prodigious talent, encourages her to sing publicly at a young age, but sexist values stand in her way, and young Kunja’s whole journey is marked by similar obstacles. Her mother is her most ardent supporter and finds opportunities for Kunja to perform in public and make a gramophone record at age 10. The doors to further training at the music academies remain closed to Kunja for a few years, despite her public popularity. Nevertheless, as the title states, Subbulakshmi becomes a national treasure, especially for her role in uplifting the morale of the people during terrible years around Partition in 1947. She Sang for India can be paired thematically with Chris Barton’s What Do You Do with a Voice like That? (2018) to show readers how two girls used their voices to serve their communities. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.