Book 11 in the Dykes to Watch Out For series finds Alison Bechdel’s beloved cast of characters discovering that nothing but change is constant in our multihued terror alert system world. Mo is working her way through library school by shelving bestsellers at Bounders Books and Muzak, Sparrow and Stuart face parenthood with a mixture of ambivalence and zeal, Clarice and Toni clash over the gay marriage debate while their 10-year-old son Raffi jacks cars and slaps hos on his best friend’s computer, Sydney’s mammogram yields very bad news, Ginger’s love life is finally looking up, and is a Hello Kitty thong really the best gift Lois can give 13-year-old Jonas when s/he becomes Janis?

Alison Bechdel is legendary for her ability to examine global politics through the prism of dinner conversations, and this book is no exception. Sydney’s doctor insists in likening her malignant cells to terrorists, Stuart’s home improvement project develops disturbing parallels to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Ginger’s best student turns out to be her most conservative, resulting in an ideology-busting clash of red- and blue-state values.