New Stuff Tuesday – August 12

Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan:
The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate
by Rick Bowers
New Arrivals Island, 2nd Floor
PN6728.S9 B69 2012

Whenever I walk past the Graphic Novel collection, there’s no denying their draw on my imagination, from classic titles featuring the Avengers , to the autobiographical such as Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me. While I enjoy the adventure and visual treat of the former and illustrated emotion of the later, I confess I often overlook the potential historical connections of the stories and their creations. This week’s featured title provides an introduction to the place of one classic in American social history.

Author Rick Bowers, a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, presents the story behind Superman and his creators – a couple of Jewish teenagers from Cleveland, OH, – the Ku Klux Klan, and the collision of the two in the 1946 radio series. This testament to the power of a superhero blasting its way beyond the graphic novel to social consciousness is an accessible, high interest read for younger readers and adults alike.