Adrian Matejka’s The Big Smoke (2013) is as bold and powerful as the larger-than-life persona of Jack Johnson, chronicling his rags-to-riches story in a compelling and intimate way. Poems such as “Cannibalism” (5), “Chicken & Other Stereotypes” (28), and “Ticket on the Titanic” (96) strike at the complex emotions, rage, and charisma that were all encapsulated within one of the most popular and controversial men of his time. Jack Johnson was an extraordinary figure, but within Matejka’s collection, his more human qualities slip through like an unguarded right hook. –Jalen White