Carry This Book

In this delightful series of illustrations, Jacobson, cocreator of Comedy Central’s Broad City, imagines the contents of the bags and pockets of notable real and fictional people, including Sigmund Freud, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Willy Wonka. In her introduction, Jacobson professes a curiosity about the things people carry with them and the ways in which possessions help “make people refreshingly interesting or refreshingly normal.” In the latter category, Jacobson presumes pop singer Beyoncé’s purse contains a Ziploc bag full of Cheerios for her daughter, Blue Ivy, as well as her keys (one labeled “boat number 6”). Meanwhile, she decides that Oprah Winfrey carries stacks of cash, along with a “spare gift to hide under someone’s chair” and a gratitude journal, and Donald Trump carries an unsurprising number of self-tanning products and a comb for his favorite style of hair. Readers get a hypothetical glimpse of Michelle Obama’s saved podcasts and Martha Stewart’s choice of driving music (an Eminem CD). Clever patterns start to emerge; for example, Steve Jobs and Kanye West both have folders on their devices designated for “stand-up” comedy notes. The illustrations are vibrantly colored marker drawings, minimal in style but packed with clever and hilarious details. Fans of Broad City will find Jacobson’s signature silliness and absurdity on display here. The book’s only flaw is that it’s too short. Color illus. [em](Oct.) [/em]