The Yo Momma Vocabulary Builder by Justin Heimberg and Steve Harwood

“Yo momma’s so execrable, her family planned her funeral with alacrity.” As an educator and librarian, and especially when working with troubled populations and youth, I do not encourage students to sling insults at one another; that being said, The Yo Momma Vocabulary Builder has made me reconsider this precedent. Specifically designed to speak to students who want to perfect the art of the insult and fueled with succulent vocabulary, The Yo Momma Vocabulary Builder tempts students to outsmart and out-versify their opponents. A handbook of vocabulary and wit, the title offers definitions and real world applications of vocabulary words, as well as pronunciation guidelines and viscious examples. An appendix puts students' understanding of the newly vanquished words to test with multiple choice reviews and "quizzles" interspersed within the text. This is an ideal book to rope students into the power of vocabulary, and if they take a liking to the power of eloquence, they can be referred to Blake Harrison and Alexander Rappaport's Flocabulary: The Hip-Hop Approach to SAT-Level Vocabulary Building. --Lisa Buckton

Heimberg, Justin and Steve Harwood. The Yo Momma Vocabulary Builder. New York: Seven Footer Press, 2007.