Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that should absolutely be put at the top of your TBR pile. Recommended books will vary across genre and age category and include shiny new books, older books you may have missed, and some classics I suggest finally getting around to. Make space for another pile of books on your floor, because here we go!
I’ll say it upfront: I am generally not a fan of Superman. I had never been able to connect with him as a character, and I usually found him pretty boring — it’s remarkable that an alien could be boring, but there you have it. Today’s pick is a graphic novel that gave me a new appreciation for the character.
Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru, and lettering by Janice Chiang
This middle grade graphic novel was originally published in three individual issues; however, the one I recommend is all three together, plus a lovely bonus essay at the end of the book by Gene Luen Yang. This story was inspired by an actual 1940s Superman radio show serial titled the “Clan of the Fiery Cross.”
While Superman is obviously one of the main characters, the other main character is Lee Lan-Shin, who has been given the American name Roberta, which is mostly used throughout the book, but it’s good to keep her Chinese name in mind. Roberta Lee, her brother Tommy, and their parents are all moving into Metropolis from Chinatown. The family is Chinese American, and the year is 1946. Roberta has a lot of anxiety and a sensitive stomach. The whole Lee family is trying hard to fit into their new, mostly white community, and in doing that, there are definitely times when they are trying to downplay their own culture. It’s as heartbreaking to see on the page as it is in real life.
Meanwhile, Superman is also not living up to his full potential, and he has a lot of questions about where he is truly from.
Roberta and Tommy meet Jimmy Olsen, who, after seeing how great Tommy is at pitching, has him join the local Little League team. The team’s pitcher, Chuck, is low-key racist and really unhappy about Tommy joining the team, so he quits. Chuck sulks and tells his uncle, who is a part of a racist terrorist group: the Klan of the Fiery Cross. As you can guess, the Lee family gets targeted. It’s not as straightforward of a story as you think, and there are plenty of surprises. Content warnings for racism, specifically anti-Chinese and anti-Black racism, imagery of a burning cross, and Klan members in their costumes. Outfits. Whatever.
I enjoyed it way more than I anticipated, and I hope you do, too. As I mentioned, there are lots of surprises and some really great moments. I’m always a fan of Gurihiru’s art style, and it is a perfect fit for this story.
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That’s it for now, book-lovers!
Patricia
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