The operative word in the title is neither “History” nor “Tattoos” (but there are plenty of the latter on view).
A gonzo view of tats through the ages: mostly British, frequently profane, replete with extravagantly inked caricatures.
As if the title weren’t warning enough, early “facts”—“Maternity units report babies being born with tattoos to heavily inked parents”—will clue readers in that the accuracy bar has been set about as low as it will go. Starting with a topless and heavily decorated Eve, Thomas surveys inking and body piercing from Cleopatra’s “tramp stamps” through Henry VIII’s “Fukke ye Pope” and Bloody Mary’s award-winning “Reare of ye Yeare 1552” to the “C III R” and “About Time!” of “King Charles the Third.” Along with (literally) uncovering dozens of historical figures on the Continent, he spares glances over the pond at George Washington’s enslaved needlemeister “Inky” Morton, mentions the buffalo tattooed on Sitting Bull’s “little big horn,” and offers a close-up of Barack Obama’s ornately inscribed torso clad in “tighty whiteys.” “Wow!” comments a World War I Tommy in what can stand for the entire work. “That’s what I call ‘large scale offensive’!” Caveat lector.
The operative word in the title is neither “History” nor “Tattoos” (but there are plenty of the latter on view). (Satire. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-910620-04-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Nobrow Ltd.
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
Two Rio Grande Valley high schoolers flirt with cutting out early but find reasons to finish school in this purposeful but intense tale. For Beto, it’s a combination of pride, disinterest in school and a clash with his caring but harsh father that sends him stalking away to spend the night in a Dumpster. For Beto's longtime friend Jessy, it’s a strong desire to be an artist, plus the strain of hearing her father beating her mother and knowing that her turn will be coming up one of these nights, that drives her to head for the bus to San Antonio. Using a mix of tenses and all three persons, Saldaña lays out his characters’ thoughts and emotional landscapes in broad strokes—creating a third angle of view by adding Beto’s little brother Roelito, who works his nalgas off in school but shows early signs of an ominous anger, as another narrative voice. The action takes place over the course of a little more than 12 hours, neatly capturing the spontaneity of teen impulses. Teen readers chafing at the domestic bit will find food for thought here. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55885-607-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
“Death is a period / at the end of a sentence,” concludes Annaleah, the 16-year-old protagonist of Schutz’s captivating fictional follow-up to her verse memoir (I Don’t Want To Be Crazy, 2006). And much like the resolute finality fixed in that tiny dot, Annaleah spends a great deal of this free-verse novel stuck contemplating the harsh reality that her sometime boyfriend, Brian—a seemingly healthy, dark-haired, cloudy-blue–eyed 17-year-old—has just dropped dead on the basketball court. Reeling from both physical loss and lack of closure to the meaning of their clandestine relationship, Annaleah finds herself routinely visiting and addressing the deceased Brian, until a chance graveside encounter yields advice that finally begins to hit home: “Nothing grows here,” says Brian’s grandmother, “besides grass.” At first blush appearing to pull out all the melodramatic stops in classic teen fashion, these refreshingly spare lines tackle tough relational issues—intimacy, risk, abandonment—with aplomb, making for a moving tale that also effectively shows teens how life can go on. (Fiction/poetry. 14 & up)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 970-0-545-16911-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: PUSH/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
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