Superman Is Jewish?: How Comic Book Superheroes Came to Serve Truth, Justice, and the Jewish-American Way - Hardcover

"A serious work that often is light-hearted, amusing and generally clear, deliberately avoiding the obscure vocabulary with which so many academics write." * American Jewish World * "Told by a storyteller as knowledgeable and entertaining as Harry Brod has proven himself to be, Superman Is Jewish? provides the intellectual thrill of a good scholarly text as well as the guilty pleasure of a good comic book." * Iowa Press-Citizen * "An essential study of the field." --Booklist "Brod's scholarly but lively narrative does a fine job of tracing 'how the people of the book became the people of the comic book.'" --Kirkus Reviews "This witty, insightful expose delves into the secret identities of the world's most famous superheroes." --Publisher's Weekly

In Superman Is Jewish? Harry Brod reveals the links between Jews and superheroes in a penetrating investigation of iconic comic book figures. He describes how the role of each hero reflects the evolution of the Jewish place in American culture-an alien in a foreign land, like Superman; a figure plagued by guilt for not having saved his family, like Spider-Man; outsiders persecuted for being different (X-Men); a nice, smart guy afraid people won't like him when he's angry (the Hulk). Brod blends humor and sharp observation as he considers these well-known figures' overtly and discreetly Jewish characteristics and talks about how their creators-including Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby-integrated their Jewish identities and their creativity. His lively guided tour takes us from the Passover Haggadah's exciting action scenes of Moses's superpowers to acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winners and overseas animators. Brod has written and lectured extensively on this fun and provocative topic and through his expertise explores the deeper story of how one immigrant group can influence the larger culture through entertainment and, in the process, see itself in new, more empowering ways.