FORTY FOUR PRESIDENTS by MZA and Maria Sputnik

Garrett County Press, 60 pages, hardcover, $10.36

This is a cute 6” x 7” book presenting all 44 presidents as if they were archiving Facebook profile pictures and status updates. It’s very clever as well as informative.  Did you know that John Adams (our second president) was the first president never to have owned slaves in his lifetime? Or that Thomas Jefferson was the first atheist president? Or that Martin Van Buren was the first to have learned English as a second language?

Indeed, this book is chock full of cover to cover interesting facts about these 44 gentleman. But it’s the presentation and wit that win out. Take this line, for example: “James Monroe…is the fourth president to own slaves while in office. Cry him a river.” Hilarious. Or how about: “James Buchanan is the first gay president. As such, Morrissey’s lyrics lamenting the lack of presidential gayness do not make sense to him.” Every entry slobbers on your cheek with its hypothetical tongue, and it’s quite enjoyable. While it looks like a comic book for kids, the text is rather rated R, but if you even remotely enjoy this kind of political cartoon mayhem, your collection cannot go without this book. Five stars and all that good stuff.

Before I leave off, here’s one more favorite line from inside these fantastic pages: “Franklin Pierce is the first alcoholic president. It’s not his fault his wife and his country do not love him.” Pure gold.