Superman versus the Ku Klux Klan: The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate

by Rick Bowers Narrated by Johnny Heller

Overview

Journalist Rick Bowers has contributed to Time, the Washington Post, and USA Today, and his fascinating Spies of Mississippi-about the spy network that tried to take down the Civil Rights Movement-earned a starred review from Booklist. Here Bowers examines how, in the late 1940s, The Adventures of Superman radio show struck a powerful blow to the KKK when it aired episodes pitting the hero against the Klan in an effort to teach young listeners to stand up to bigotry.

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

In 1946, The Adventures of Superman radio show took on the Ku Klux Klan in an effort to teach young listeners lessons about tolerance and standing up to bigotry. The first episode of the 16-part "Clan of the Fiery Cross" aired on June 10, 1946, to "dramatiz[e] the realities of the Ku Klux Klan to a generation of young radio listeners." From the beginning, Superman had a social conscience, and one thread of this narrative traces the origins of Superman and his rise to stardom as a comic-book and radio hero. The other thread examines the history and mid-20th-century resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. But it's not until late in the volume that the collision between Superman and the KKK occurs, making it seem like a work that isn't quite sure of what it wants to be, or for whom it was written. With sentences such as, "Brown even got inside a secret subunit of the Kavalier Klub that called itself the Ass-Tearers and printed on its calling card the image of a corkscrew--its implement of choice for torturing and disemboweling its victims," this often reads more like journalism than children's literature. A fascinating twin narrative, though not quite the story the title suggests. (bibliography, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169389265
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/23/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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