Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 08/01/2019 *Starred Review* Was Thurgood Marshall a born lawyer? Well, six-year-old Thoroughgood made a strong enough case to convince his parents “to legally change his name—to Thurgood.” Growing up in 1920s Baltimore, he attended segregated schools and experienced racial injustice. But his father took him to courtrooms to watch trials and, at home, challenged his son to argue positions and back them up with facts. Later, as a lawyer, Marshall would channel his anger at injustice into well-honed arguments in the courtroom, where he overturned legal precedents and won 29 cases before the Supreme Court, including Brown v. Board of Education. The book concludes with him becoming America’s first Black Supreme Court justice. By framing this biography as a series of facts and including inequitable practices endured by African Americans during the period, Winter sets a tone well suited to Marshall’s life story. Personal anecdotes give the facts context as well as emotional resonance. Collier contributes a series of powerful watercolor-and-collage illustrations, creating dramatic effects sometimes in the expressions, body language, and gestures of people, but also through the dynamic use of form and color. An appended note offers additional biographical information about Thurgood Marshall and his monumental strides toward racial justice. A memorable portrait of a legal giant. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 09/01/2019 K-Gr 4—When six-year-old Thurgood Marshall convinced his parents to legally change his name from Thoroughgood, his future as a lawyer seemed predestined. His father took him to trials to watch legal arguments and practiced the art of vociferous debate at the dinner table. There is a stark juxtaposition between Marshall's edifying upbringing and the society of pervasive and violent racism in which he came of age. Readers are easily able to understand how these two forces motivated Marshall to reach great legal heights. This impassioned picture book does not shy away from depicting the racism that shaped Marshall's life. Often these examples are preceded by the capitalized word "FACT" followed by information such as the conditions in segregated schools, or the fact that a young Thurgood could hear white cops beating black suspects in the police station across the street from his school, or that his father's forced subservience to white people provoked intense rage. Acts of segregation are labeled as "INJUSTICE," and every victory of Marshall's is proudly declared as "JUSTICE." Collier's dynamic illustrations perfectly complement the tone of Winter's narrative. His watercolor and collage artwork effectively captures moments of both adversity and triumph. The work as a whole is informative, inspiring, and exciting. VERDICT This is no carefully neutral biography: it is a fervent celebration of a man whose work improved the lives of millions of Americans. This stirring portrait of an American hero is recommended for first purchase.—Elizabeth Lovsin, Deerfield Public Library, IL - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.