Sad True

At the front of a middle-school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls "Daniel") stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny; who makes things up and talks about poop too much.

Back when Dee and Juniper were still friends, Dee never hid in the bathroom. Now, at the beginning of sixth grade, Dee finds herself there often. The dripping faucet is annoying, and there are other places she’d rather be—like at home and in her room with her cat, Norman. But at least Dee is safe from overenthusiastic teachers and having to see Juniper walking through the halls with her new friends. Dee would rather be alone than witness that.

In Hear My Sad Story, Richard Polenberg describes the historical events that led to the writing of many famous American folk songs that served as touchstones for generations of American musicians, lyricists, and folklorists. Those events, which took place from the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries, often involved tragic occurrences: murders, sometimes resulting from love affairs gone wrong; desperate acts born out of poverty and unbearable working conditions.

Meet the Evil Legion of Evil: evil yet beautiful space princesses; international lords of hate; one brain in a jar; and the Supreme Dark Lord himself, super-nerd Vox Day. Who would dare attack these frightful folk? The brave men and women of the Puppy Kickers. Safely entrenched in their safe zones, they lash out the only way they can: through proxies, slander, and calling out SWAT teams. Will the Puppies be SWATted once and for all? Or will the Puppy Kickers learn that these puppies bite back?

“I'll never forget the first time I killed a man. Wait...I'm getting way ahead of myself calling it a killing. Yes, I did kill him, but you couldn't really classify it as a murder. I shot him in order to save an innocent person's life, in the line of duty. I used to be a cop. Until I killed - but a justified shooting - a young man by the name of Tommy Ray Wallace."