[In this feature, we highlight a handful of the best book reviews appearing over the weekend in major newspapers. Follow it here.]
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Superman, by Larry Tye. Reviewed by Michael Cavna (Washington Post).
I’ve always though Superman to be one of the least interesting superheros. His powers aren’t very creative, and his inner conflict isn’t as readily sympathetic as other heroes,in part because he’s a handsome, mostly invincible alien instead of a geek brimming with newfound, dangerous powers. But he’s more or less the archetypal superhero, and the story of his creation, gathered in this new history by Larry Tye, is a long and winding one. I won’t recap, but check out Cavna’s review and see if this catches your fancy.
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America the Philosophical, by Carlin Romano. Reviewed by Anthony Gottlieb (New York Times).
This book sets out to give a cross-section of the American mindset through journalism. Romano covers the gamut from religious fundamentalism to “cyberphilosophers” and “among many other things, literary critics, political theorists, mathematicians, broadcasters, science writers and purveyors of unhelpfully vapid self-help.” Could be very interesting, or at the very least a good book to stick in your bathroom so your guests will admire your broad range of intellectual interests.
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Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson. Reviewed by David L. Ulin (Los Angeles Times).
I’m a little leery about books that try to explore the power of storytelling (Atonement is my least favorite McEwan; The Oracle of Stamboul tried too hard), but this one does sound promising. There are genies and magic books, and apparently the book plumbs some depth: “she wants us to recognize the extent to which the world, both internal and external, remains beyond us, not just out of sight but literally unable to be seen.” However, Ulin warns, it flirts with being “melodramatic and contrived.” Could go either way. Give the review a read and see what you think.
Follow it on Goodreads.
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Quickly: Changing up book covers to trick teens into reading classics. It’s no shock at all that the first state to nix public libraries is in the South? I like these “Awful Reviews.”
How is Superman’s inner conflict not relatable? He’s a guy who wants to do the right thing, and that often puts him in situations where he has to make difficult decisions. We can all relate to that on some level, unless we’re psychopaths. The scale of those decisions and situations is incidental.
I predict a Special Edition Arm-Wrestling podcast in the future.
I agree, Supes’s powers extend to super-boringness.
It’s not relatable because he’s not a human being. He’s too powerful and he can fix too much too easily. The scale is not incidental. Name one hard decision Superman has to make that doesn’t involve a superhuman antagonist—i.e. anything on a human level.
What Nico said. He’s also the inside out of most other heroes–or at least the ones that interest me: he’s really special from birth and he sees his powers are almost a burden cause he just wishes he was a normal Joe, er Clark. Well fuck you, Superman. Nobody wants to be Clark Kent and you’re wasting everyone’s time and insulting their intelligence by walking around in that fedora with those hipster glasses on instead of flying around and kicking the shit out of bad guys all the time like everyone reading wishes they could do themselves. Boo hoo your best friend is now a balding and evil villain and you feel conflicted on the inside. Kick him in the dick all the way to Mars and be done with it already.