Scan barcode
A review by faeriekit
Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A solid read.
From what I understand, portions of the original Radio Show of Superman Smashes the Klan are lost media; I was wondering if this would be a reconstruction of the lost portions in an effort to stay as faithful as possible to the original, but it's in fact a rather fresh story about what it means to be American, what it means to be an immigrant, and, in both uses of the term, what it means to be an alien. I think that the visual allegories used for Clark confronting his own past and the prejudice he underwent were really striking, although that might have been due to the period-accurate clothing they put kid!Clark into during the scenes. The main-line story was nuanced and appropriately complicated for younger kids; the underlying message was strong, and the backmatter at the end tackled both the author's personal history with Anti-Chinese racism, the state of American prejudice, and the history of Superman, all in little bursts that entwined into a larger picture of how the book came to be.
It is a solid, YA-level read on Superman, Racism, and domestic terrorism on the home front. I think I'll start recommending it as a Historical Fiction title when kids come up to the desk.
From what I understand, portions of the original Radio Show of Superman Smashes the Klan are lost media; I was wondering if this would be a reconstruction of the lost portions in an effort to stay as faithful as possible to the original, but it's in fact a rather fresh story about what it means to be American, what it means to be an immigrant, and, in both uses of the term, what it means to be an alien. I think that the visual allegories used for Clark confronting his own past and the prejudice he underwent were really striking, although that might have been due to the period-accurate clothing they put kid!Clark into during the scenes. The main-line story was nuanced and appropriately complicated for younger kids; the underlying message was strong, and the backmatter at the end tackled both the author's personal history with Anti-Chinese racism, the state of American prejudice, and the history of Superman, all in little bursts that entwined into a larger picture of how the book came to be.
It is a solid, YA-level read on Superman, Racism, and domestic terrorism on the home front. I think I'll start recommending it as a Historical Fiction title when kids come up to the desk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Violence