Step Aside, Pops: Review Haiku

When you don't know what
to get your smart-a$$ friends for
their birthdays, try this.

Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant! Collection by Kate Beaton. Drawn & Quarterly, 2015,

St. Paul: Review Haiku

As we approach Holy
Week, a clear-eyed look at
maybe-not a jerk.

St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate by Karen Armstrong. New Harvest, 2015, 143 pages.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States: Review Haiku

He's taking this horse
by the reins, makin' Redcoats
redder with bloodstains.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. Riverhead, 2015, 288 pages.

The Lion of Rora: Review Haiku

Little-known tale of
religious persecution
and war strategy.

The Lion of Rora by Christos Gage and Ruth Fletcher Gage. Oni Press, 2015, 184 pages.

Oyster War: Review Haiku

Oysters and pirates
and selkies, oh my!
Plus epic mustaches, dude.

Oyster War by Ben Towle. Oni Press, 2015, 167 pages.

Terrorist: Review Haiku

Oppressed Serb becomes
pawn in global pissing contest,
unleashes hell.

Terrorist: Gavrilo Princip, the Assassin Who Ignited World War I by Henrik Rehr. Graphic Universe, 2015, 231 pages.

Most Dangerous: Review Haiku

As election season
starts, remember how bad
politics can be.

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook, 2015, 370 pages.

The Hired Girl: Review Haiku

Farm girl flees to big
city; learns more than she
ever knew possible.

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick, 2015, 387 pages.

Lafayette and the American Revolution: Review Haiku

The truth behind the
perfection of Daveed Diggs.
Rebel with a cause.

Lafayette and the American Revolution by Russell Freedman. Holiday House, 2010, 88 pages.

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate: Review Haiku

Boy-gets-dog story:
his brilliant sister is the
brains behind it, natch.

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Holt, 2015, 320 pages.

Stonewall: Review Haiku

How far we've come;
how far we haven't come.
Fascinating history.

Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum. Viking, 2015, 80 pages.

Mary Poppins: Review Haiku

She's a right nasty
bitch, isn't she? And where did
those babies come from?

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers. Harcourt, originally published 1934, 192 pages.

Chasing Secrets: Review Haiku

Race, class, love, death -- if
you thought plague was a thing of
the past, think again.

Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko. Wendy Lamb, 2015, 228 pages.

YOU GUYS I'M GOING TO SEE HAMILTON TONIGHT

I am just an eensy bit excited.

http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/

Gone Crazy in Alabama: Review Haiku

Started slow for me,
but a humdinger of a
middle and an end.

Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia. Amistad, 2015, 304 pages.

March, Book 2: Review Haiku

How long shall my
enemy be exalted over
me, O my Lord?

March: Book 2 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. Top Shelf, 2015, 192 pages.

The Case of the Missing Moonstone: Review Haiku

Super-charming
revisionist history
featuring kickass girls.

The Case of the Missing Moonstone (Wollstonecraft Detective Agency #1) by Jordan Stratford, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Knopf, 2015, 240 pages.

Bo at Iditarod Creek: Review Haiku

It feels like Alaska
outside, so snuggle in
with Bo and the gang.

Bo at Iditarod Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Holt, 2015, 288 pages.

Gaijin: Review Haiku

A different story
of internment, with
complicated characters.

Gaijin: American Prisoner of War by Matt Faulkner. Disney, 2014, 144 pages.

The Harlem Hellfighters: Review Haiku

A story of wartime
bravery, tainted by
shameful racism.

The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks. Broadway Books, 2014, 272 pages.